Endure and Survive
by Reckreator
Summary: It's been five years since the outbreak. The world has left humanity behind, and so has Lara. But when she is reunited with her best friend one day, Sam challenges the idea that there is more to life than just surviving. Post Apocalypse AU with Lara/Sam.
1. Prologue

Thank you to CosmicGunslinger now and forever for beta'ing my work.

* * *

 **Prologue**

Lara heaved the duffel bag onto her shoulder and huffed as she picked up the box. She started carefully down the stairs.

Sam was sitting on Lara's suitcase at the bottom, watching her carefully. "Are you sure you don't want me to help?" she asked.

Lara winced as the duffel bag slipped off her shoulder and caught heavily on the inside of her elbow. "It's okay," she said as Sam got up. She readjusted her grip on the box. "I'm fine." Sam reluctantly sat down again. The box was actually quite heavy but she didn't want to admit that in front of Sam. It was stupid, she knew, but she didn't want her to think she was weak.

"Why did you even buy so many books?" Sam asked. "Haven't you heard of the internet?"

"Sometimes the internet doesn't have what I'm looking for, Sam." She stepped off the stairs and put her stuff down.

"Pfft, the internet has _everything_ you're looking for _._ " She tapped the side of her nose. _"_ Rule 34, Lara."

Lara stared blankly at her.

Sam broke out into a grin. "Oh my god," she said gleefully. "I _so_ need to show you this _now_." There was a mischievous glint in her eye that Lara did not like _at all._ "Name me…something, anything. Your favourite Disney character."

Lara didn't think that would be a good idea. She stopped Sam with a touch on her arm as she brought out her phone. "Umm, why don't we save this for another day?" she suggested nervously, "Winston will be here soon."

Sam looked amused. " _Whatever_ you want sweetie." She knelt down and picked up the heavy box with a grunt. "Are you coming Lara?" she asked as she started towards the exit.

Lara frowned as she slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed her suitcase. She would have to look up 'rule 34' as soon as possible.

Sam was waiting for her by the door. She waved to someone and Lara looked to see that it was Ms Thompson. Lara lifted a hand in farewell as her teacher flashed her a warm smile. She was going to miss her; Ms Thompson was an amazing history teacher.

"So what are you going to do when you get home?" Sam asked.

Lara shrugged but she could feel herself smiling. She had been told that her parents had gone missing four years ago and she had all but thought they were dead. But just a month ago, Roth had called her telling her that they were found, alive and recovering in an New Zealand hospital. Now Winston was picking her up to go see her parents, who were waiting back at the manor.

"I'm not sure," she said, "I'm just excited to see my parents again and just do…normal stuff. I don't think I've properly been with them for almost five years now." She winced when she remembered Sam's own situation. "I'm sorry. I know you've had more problems with your parents than me."

Sam snorted. "I don't think my situation compares to yours. But they finally want me back in Japan and I think mom is coming up as well. It'll be nice to spend time as a family again, though I hope dad can turn his phone off for that long."

"That's ironic coming from you."

Sam bumped her shoulder. "I can't help if I'm popular," she grinned.

They walked out the gate and Sam put the box down. There were no other kids from their school around as everyone else had left a few days before so it had just been Sam, Lara, the janitor and two teachers for the past couple of days.

"Achoo!" Sam sneezed next to her. She sniffed and rubbed her nose.

Lara looked at her and furrowed her brow. "Are you sick?" she asked.

Sam looked up and snorted. "Relax Lara, my nose was just itchy."

Lara sunk back. "Sorry. But you know how sick some people have been getting. It's an epidemic."

"Don't worry," Sam said. "I have a strong immune system. You're so sweet for caring, though." She ruffled her hair, grinning. Lara pushed her away and stuck her tongue out.

The blue and fluro-green of a police car raced past them followed by an ambulance. Sam and Lara turned and saw them disappear around a corner.

Sam frowned. "Huh, wonder what the emergency is."

Lara looked back up the road and spotted a black four-wheel drive at the traffic light. "I think that's Winston," she said, pointing at the car.

Sam squinted. "Really? Already?"

Lara turned to her and met Sam's eyes. She hadn't been looking forward to this moment.

Sam threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. "I'm going to miss you _so_ much," she said, squeezing tighter. "Call me every day, okay? Promise me."

"I will if you let me breathe," Lara rasped.

Sam laughed and let go of her. "Promise me?"

Lara smiled. "I promise, Sam." She embraced her friend again as the four-wheel drive pulled up behind them.

Sam pecked her cheek as she pulled away. Lara felt herself blush and she bent down to pick up the box to cover it.

Sam, thankfully, didn't seem to notice. "I'll see you soon, Lara," she smiled.

Lara smiled back, feeling butterflies in her stomach. "See you soon, Sam."

She turned around and started towards the car, feeling a little bewildered. She had never thought about Sam in _that_ way before until about a week ago. She didn't even know what brought it on. This was normal, right?

It didn't really matter though, did it? She could never tell Sam about this. A part of Lara was already missing Sam but maybe this break was just what she needed to get over this girl crush on her best friend.

A man stepped out of the car and Lara stopped in her tracks. It wasn't Winston.

"Dad?" Lara exclaimed.

Her dad walked up to her and took the box from her hands as she just _stared_ at him. "My my, Lara," he said, looking at her. He put the box down. "You've grown."

Lara suddenly threw her arms around him and laughed. "Oh my god, dad!" She buried her face in his shoulder as he hugged her back. "I thought…" she pulled back. "I thought I was meeting you at the mansion!"

A woman answered. "We couldn't wait to see you, dear."

Lara looked past her dad. "Mum!" She ran forward and hugged her.

"Lara," her mum breathed into her hair. "God, I've missed you."

Lara pulled back. "I've missed you too," she said. She blinked back the tears as her mum cupped her face.

Lara didn't realise how much she had missed them until they were holding her in their arms again. She missed their warmth; she had missed how her mother would absent-mindedly braid her hair and how her dad would chatter about his past adventures.

They had been gone for five years; and in those years a pit of anxiety had been growing in Lara's stomach. What if they never came back? What if the last thing she had said to them had been months before, unimportant and meaningless?

But that was all behind her now, and she had the future to look forward to.

Her mum glanced at her dad for a moment and he nodded. "Here," her mum said, taking out a small jewellery box. "This is for you."

Lara took the box curiously and lifted the lid. Nestled within white velvet was a jade pendant. The jade was shaped into a rough circle and it vaguely reminded her of Ying and Yang but she didn't recognise the pattern. Lara threaded her fingers gingerly through the leather cord and lifted the pendant out.

"This is for me?" she asked, hardly believing it.

Her dad put a hand on her shoulder. "Yes," he said. "Your mum was given it by some natives during our adventures."

"Do you want me to put it on for you?" her mum asked.

Lara turned back to her and smiled, giving her the pendant. The jade was cool as it settled on her chest and she looked down at it. "There," her mum said. She turned back to her. "Beautiful."

Lara smiled and hugged her. "Thank you," she murmured. She hugged her dad as well. "I'm not sure what it means though."

Her dad laughed. "Come on then. We'll tell you all about it in the car."

Her dad put her luggage in the back of the four-wheel drive as Lara climbed into the back seat with her mum.

As her dad drove them towards Surrey, her mum told her about the necklace, explaining their adventure. Lara ran her thumb over her new pendant as her mum explained its origin.

"After we got shipwrecked on an island near New Zealand," she explained. "We met these indigenous locals which helped us repair the boat. They gave me that pendant one night. It's the Maori Koru- it represents a new start." She looked at dad and they both smiled. She turned back to Lara. "It brought us luck for the rest of our journey, and it brought us back to you. So I hope it will bring you luck as well."

Lara looked down at the pendant and smiled. _A new start…_ maybe her parents were hinting at something? Maybe they wanted to have a normal life again; a life where they were a proper family. "Thanks mum," she said, and hugged her. "I love it even more now."

"We have more presents for you back at the manor," her dad said. "Artefacts that we've found. We get to have two days with them before we need to hand them over to the British Museum. I'm curious to see how much you know about Maori culture."

Lara's eyes lit up. She would actually get to _study_ artefacts? Well, with extreme care of course but, oh my god, she could not wait. She could be a proper archaeologist for once.

She turned to her mum. "So what happened next?" she asked.

Her mum told her about the rest of their journey; finding the ruins of an ancient village, almost drowning in a cave and then being helped out by spirits. Lara wasn't sure if 'spirits' was a metaphor for something else or if her mother was actually being serious.

Still, Lara was hanging on her mum's every word. It was terrifying to hear her mum talk about death like it was a great adventure- she didn't think she would ever understand that but it was exciting all the same. It was a little hard to concentrate though as sirens kept blaring past them throughout the whole story.

"Hmm…what's going on here?" her dad muttered.

Lara looked up. They were slowing down as they joined a massive traffic queue. She didn't think the road out of London was this busy, especially on a weekday.

Her dad's phone rang and he answered it immediately. "Conrad, something wrong?"

Lara frowned and looked out of the window.

It was chaos outside. Cars were constantly honking and people were shouting at each other through the windows. There seemed to be absolutely no sense of order.

Lara looked up and saw a black military helicopter circling above them. A voice amplified over a megaphone sounded but the words were inaudible amongst all the raucous. Several people got out of their car and began shouting at it, as if that would do anything.

Lara swallowed a lump of panic rising in her throat. Something was seriously wrong.

As she watched, a bloodied man ran onto the road. He made a disgusting sound between a yell and a gurgle that sent shivers across her skin and then charged for the nearest woman. The woman tried to get back in her car but the man grabbed her violently and _sunk his teeth_ into her arm.

Lara yelped and jerked away from the window. What the hell?!

Her mum put an arm around her and pulled her against her. "It's okay, Lara," she said, way too calmly for what just happened _,_ "I'm sure we're fine." She looked at Dad as he hung up. "Right Richard?"

Her father's frown deepened and he put the gear in reverse. He looked behind them and said, "We need to get out of London. Immediately."


	2. Don't Look Back

Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing this for me.

* * *

Sam shuffled along the marshy road, wishing desperately for a place to rest her blistered feet. The mud sucked at her boots so she kept to the islands of concrete which occasionally rose up from the wet soil. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and looked back at the road they came from.

She couldn't see Swindon anymore, but she could still imagine the chaos going on there. The rebels would have killed all the soldiers by now, but not before making them suffer as much as they had. There was no doubt what the men would have done to her if she had stayed a second longer.

"Sam," Will called. She turned back and he nodded towards the road ahead. "We need to keep going. The city's gone." His nose sounded congested, and he soon sneezed.

Sam pressed her lips together. "I know," she said, "I was just catching my breath."

Will frowned. "The zone was bound to fall. Especially with-"

"I _know_ , Will," she interrupted, walking past him. "I'm used to this, remember?"

Will frowned and walked after her.

They trudged along the road for who knows how many more minutes when Sam heard a gurgled scream off the side of the road. She froze as she saw a biter run towards her from amongst the trees.

"I got this," she said as Will sneezed again. Sam gripped the kitchen knife in her hand and walked forward to meet it, swallowing her fear. She had killed a few of these things but she hated close combat.

She lifted the knife, and prepared to stab it's head when the biter crashed into her surprisingly quickly. They both fell to the ground and the knife fell from her hand.

"Will!" she yelled. She was struggling to keep its teeth away from her neck.

Suddenly a knife plunged into the biter's head and it went limp.

Sam pushed it off her and sat up, feeling her heart start again.

"So much for 'having it'," Will grumbled. He put his foot against the biter's head and tried to tug the knife out.

Sam got to her feet and wiped away the mud that was clinging to her back. "I know. Sorry." She picked up the rubbish bag containing their meagre supplies that Will had dropped.

Will managed to pull the knife's handle out but the blade remained wedged in the biter's brain. "Bullocks," he swore to himself. He tossed the handle on the road then began searching the corpse.

He pulled a gun from the man's belt and checked the clip. "Five bullets," he announced, standing up. "That's actually worth it."

"Try not to use them all at once," Sam said absently, looking around for any other biters.

Will sneezed again and wiped his nose on his sleeve. Sam looked at him and frowned. "You're getting worse," she observed.

"I'm fine," he dismissed. "Let's just go."

He walked onwards back along the road. Sam sighed and followed him. She hoped Will would get better soon, or at least that things wouldn't get worse.

Off to the side of the road, maybe a kilometre from where they were, she spotted a tall farm-style house on top of a small rise. There looked like there was something behind it, but she couldn't really make it out. She spotted a wooden sign pointing to a dirt road and walked over to it.

"Pick-Your-Own Orchards," she read aloud.

Her heart lifted and she looked at the house. _There has to be food there_ , she thought. She didn't care if they were rotten apples- she was about to start eating the grass soon.

"Will!" she called out, turning to face him. "We should check this place out. There has to be food there."

Will stared at the house for a moment and sniffed. "Yeah. If there isn't anyone there already," he said.

"It's still worth a shot." She walked quickly down the road with Will behind her.

As she walked down the road, she noticed that there were faint tracks in the dirt. They were hard to decipher due to the rain washing them away, but they were definitely there. A vehicle had travelled through here maybe a few months ago, whether headed to the orchard or away she didn't know.

She could also hear the very loud sound of biters moaning and groaning. There must have been hundreds, Sam realised, if she could hear them when she was still a good hundred meters away. Her theory was only confirmed when she reached the top of the slope.

Sam swallowed as she watched the hundreds of biters wandering aimlessly amongst themselves before her. They were thankfully trapped behind a wire fence, but the sight still made her queasy. It would be so easy for them to break it down that she knelt behind a tree with Will.

"There are so many," Sam said despondently, "There's no way we're getting through that." The idea of food in that place made her stomach growl as loudly as the biters there, but it would be impossible to sate her hunger now.

"But look," Will said, pointing. "There's guns, and lots of them."

Sam looked to where he was pointing and saw that he was right. There was a military truck with rifles and shotguns sprawled around it. She could see that a lot of the biters were wearing camo pants or shirts.

They must have all been military, wanting to set up a new base. However, they must have somehow been run over and turned, though she didn't really know how as the gates were still locked and there wasn't a sign of a breach.

"We could use those guns," he said. There was a hunger in his voice that she didn't like. "You should distract them, run over to the left and draw their attention while I sneak in on the right."

"Are you serious?" she hissed. "They're going to bring the fucking fence down. There's no way we can get in."

"Come on Sam."

"You're sick, Will. How is this a good idea?"

"Well, that's why you're luring them away," he coughed into his wrist.

"No." Sam stood and walked back down the road. Like fuck she was going to let him use her as bait. Sometimes she wondered why she stayed with him, but then she remembered that it was safer having someone else here when they weren't trying to get you killed.

Will joined her a minute later, grumbling to himself, and they continued west along the main road.

It felt like another two hours of trekking before they reached a small town. There were maybe five houses in total, all boarded up and surrounded by a few dead biters. Whoever lived here must have been overrun when the infected started wandering into the countryside. All the houses were open though, except the one house nearest to them.

"Want to check it out?" Sam asked.

Will shrugged and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "We don't have much choice. There's only a can of tuna left."

Sam sighed. "Great…" If they didn't find food soon she would be fighting Will for some of that tuna tonight. And considering that all the doors save one were open, she suspected the houses had been swept clean already.

"We'll check the ones already open," Will said. "Even if there isn't anything here it might be a place to stay for the night."

Sam picked up a broken board from the fence then stopped in front of the house. "Well, you first," she said to him.

Will raised the pistol and entered the house. Sam followed, holding the plank like a baseball bat. They swept the house quickly and found no biters.

Sam lowered the plank and looked around the room properly this time. She found a pair of scissors behind a dresser and Will found a dusty tub of sports drink powder at the back of a cupboard.

They scavenged through the second and third houses which yielded less results than the first. Sam found a fire poker which replaced her plank and they both replaced their dirty clothes with dusty, but cleaner ones. There was also a pack of crayons in one corner which they took.

The fourth house was the only one that had its door closed. Upon knocking on it they heard several groans and growls coming from behind it.

"Well, now we know why it wasn't open," Sam said as they retreated a few steps.

"There has to be something good in there," Will growled. He coughed into his hands. "There might even be medicine."

"We don't know, Will," Sam sighed, sitting on the porch. "The house might be empty. Somebody might have just locked the biters in there while escaping."

"We should still check it out. We kind of need to."

Sam stood up. "We can go through the back," she suggested, walking around the house. "You can boost me over the fence and I can take a look before committing."

She stopped when she reached the back of the house and waited for Will.

"Okay," he said. He crouched and Sam climbed onto his shoulders. With a huff, Will stood and she peered over the fence line.

The first thing she noticed was that there was a dirty glass door separating the backyard from the house. She couldn't see anything moving inside-maybe all the biters were at the front of the house.

The backyard was overgrown and there was a garden bed against one wall that was overflowing with herbs. Her eyes widened when she saw an orange tree in the corner, branches drooping from ripening fruit.

She scanned the backyard carefully to make sure they were able to reach it safely then told Will to put her down.

"There's an orange tree in that corner," she said, getting off his shoulders and pointing to their left. "The yard is safe. You could hop over easily and get some before the biters know you're there."

" _Or_ I could just boost you over," he said. "You can do that as well."

"I don't think I'm strong enough to pull myself over," she said, smiling as innocently as she could. " _You_ still have muscles though," nodding towards said parts. "I know you could do it."

Will sighed and looked towards the fence. "Okay, fine," he relented. Sam smiled gratefully. She felt slightly guilty for doing this to him while he was sick but she didn't fancy her chances if the biters turned up.

Will walked over to where she pointed. "Here, right?" She nodded. "Alright. I'll throw them over to you." He peeked over the fence for a moment before hauling himself over.

A few seconds later an orange flew into the sky. Sam rushed over to catch it and the others that soon followed. In another minute Will jumped back over the fence.

"Good job," Sam said, counting the oranges. "We got twelve."

Will coughed again. "At least we have something to eat," he croaked. He picked one up and started peeling it. "We should stay here tonight. It's safer than the road."

"I have no complaints," Sam said, gathering the oranges up. "It looks like it's going to rain soon and I'd rather not spend another night sleeping under the tarp."

No sooner after they had moved into the third house did it start raining. Sam put a bucket that she had found outside to collect the water before Will pushed a desk against the front door. She lit two of the crayons they found earlier and they both ate three oranges each by the dim candlelight. Soon after, they went to sleep on the dusty beds in the cold rooms.

When morning came they spent an hour filtering the water that had collected over night through a clean cloth and ate an orange each.

Will hadn't gotten any better. His nose was running constantly and he was getting weaker. Sam kept her distance from him, but she was worried that she would catch the flu herself. If they didn't find medicine soon then it wasn't likely that Will would survive.

Over the next three days they walked along the road to Bristol. They barely talked during the day, being too exhausted to think, while at night they were forced to sleep under the tarp as the rain pattered over their heads. A few times they had to hide off the side of the road from passing biters, though they didn't encounter any other living person.

When she wasn't focusing on how much her body hurt or her growling stomach, she found herself thinking about the other survivors in the world.

Swindon had been one of the most hostile quarantine zones she had been too. Whilst the others had an air of hopelessness, Swindon held frustration only which had been simmering under the surface well before she arrived.

Will was the only real ally she had made there- everyone else had been too suspicious to talk to her. He was _as_ trustworthy as everyone else, though, that is to say not very trustworthy at all. Although it was better than being alone, she would rather find a different ally as soon as possible.

They ate the last of their food on the third night. It was going to be difficult to find more out here. They had seen a few rabbits in the sparse trees around but it wasn't worth attracting every biter within a kilometre to kill one.

The next day, Sam saw a fallen sign in the dirt on the side of the road. She shuffled over to it slowly. "Rosewater Resort, 3 kilometres," she read. The sign pointed down the road, the direction they were heading. "We should check it out."

Will looked at her wearily. He was pale, and shivering; it didn't seem like he had any spare strength to argue. He nodded slowly and they continued down the road.

Sam worried on the inside of her cheek as they walked. Getting sick was pretty much a death sentence. There was no medicine, and food and water were hard to come by so you had a low chance of naturally staving off the illness.

If Will got any worse, she would have to leave him, whether he liked it or not. She prayed that wouldn't happen.

It was dark when they finally saw the road leading up to the resort. Sam walked over to the corner of the intersection and brushed the dirt off a rusty metal sign.

" _Rosewater Resort",_ she read, panting from how tired she was.

Sam looked up the road and could just make out a large gate between a solid fence. A light glow could be seen from between the trees, and if she hadn't seen the smoke, she wouldn't have been sure it wasn't from the stars.

There were people there, Sam realised. They could help them. They could help Will.

 _If they don't shoot us first._

Sam shook her head. It didn't matter. They were barely scraping by, and they needed food and water. They had to try.

She turned around. Will was a ways behind her and he was only becoming slower. She needed to get him to those people and pray to god that they would help.

Sam rubbed the sweat off her brow and dragged herself back towards Will. At this rate she would have to haul his ass to the resort.

There was a guttural scream to her left. Sam barely registered what was happening before she saw two biters running towards Will.

"Will, run!" she shouted. She sprinted back towards him and pulled out the gun. But the biters were fast, and Will wasn't. Before Sam had killed the first biter, the second was on Will. He yelled as it leaned over him, trying to bite his face. The gun rang loud as the biters dropped, dead.

"I'm okay…" Will coughed. "I'm okay."

"Get up," Sam said, helping him up. "They'll be coming soon."

The trees around them erupted in moans and screams.

"Ahh shit." She pulled him down the road. "Come on," she said. She hoped the adrenaline would kick into him quickly because they needed to _run._

Sam could feel her muscles burning and her heart pounding in her ears as she ran. She was too tired and too hungry for this. But as she heard the gurgles of the biters rising behind her, she forced her feet to move, step after step.

She turned at the sign and managed to catch a glance at Will. The infected were catching up fast, and she only had one more bullet left.

There was a moment where she thought she should kill him: that Will was doomed and he might as well buy her some time with his final breath.

But that thought disappeared as fast as it came and she ran back. She slipped an arm under his and dragged him forward. "Don't look back," she told him, breathing heavily. "We're almost there."

In front of them a biter stumbled out of the trees. It fixed its blank eyes on them and started staggering towards them. Sam gritted her teeth and raised the gun. She squeezed the trigger, but the bullet hit the tree behind it in a splash of splinters.

Sam lowered the gun and looked behind her. There had to be at least eight biters and they were all closing in on them. Will was sagging against her, barely able to stand on his own.

 _Fuck,_ she thought. She could feel every beat of her heart and the sweat on her skin. _This is it._

Sam heard the burst of a muzzle and looked up. The biter in front of her collapsed and a blinding white flashlight emerged from behind it. Sam could only watch as the shooter and two others raised their rifles at them.

She turned her head away and prepared for a sharp pain when their guns fired again.

But nothing came, and behind her the groans fell into gurgles.

"Help her," came a thick northern accent, "Before more come."

A large burly man ran forward and took Will off her before she could say anything. Her brain could barely process what was going on as the three people started back up the road.

One of the lights turned back to her. "Well come on girl. Do you want to stay out here?" the northern man shouted.

Her brain finally ticked and her feet moved clumsily after the figures.

She was tired, and every bit of her body ached. She wanted to collapse on the floor and just lie there for the next five years.

But something in the depths of her mind kept blowing on the dying embers, and eventually she found herself inside the compound with the doors being pulled shut behind her. The screams of the biters outside were cut out one by one.

She collapsed to her knees, vaguely aware of what was happening around her.

 _Safe,_ she thought, too tired to form anything else. _Safe._

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to slow her racing heart. That was too close, and she had been _so_ lucky tonight.

There was a click next to her ear.

"Don't move," came a Russian accent.

Sam felt the hairs stand on the back of her neck as she realised what was happening. Her heart started hammering in her chest again. Had she walked from one fire into another?

"Put your weapons on the floor," the northern man said. "And don't try anything."

Sam kept her eyes on the other wall as she placed the pistol on the floor next to her.

"And everything else."

"That's all we have," she said. She had dropped their bag of supplies sometime during the skirmish. "I swear."

"Stand up."

She stood. She felt someone walk up behind her and had to resist the urge to run. "Spread your arms," he ordered. She did as she was told and the man quickly frisked her.

Sam could practically feel the gun pointed at her head. She swallowed and found her nerve to speak. "Where's my friend?"

"Quiet," the Russian man said.

The northern man took the lighter and scissors from her pocket then walked in front of her. The man looked like he was in his fifties but the hardness in his eyes warned her that he shouldn't be fucked with.

He signalled for the Russian to lower his gun then turned back to her. "Come with me," he ordered.


	3. Ghosts of the Past

Thanks for all the reviews and favourites. And thanks to CosmicGunslinger for the edits.

* * *

Lara felt her mind stir as the distant sound of gunfire echoed in her dreams. Screams and screeches slowly faded in the background to be replaced by the chopping of helicopter blades. She felt a ghostly arm slip around her and saw the wrinkles of a frown.

Lara squeezed her eyes tighter as she felt herself returning to consciousness. Thoughts began lingering in her mind again, tugging her awake. She took a breath and tried to expel them.

But it didn't work.

With a groan, Lara sat up in the darkness and pulled her knees towards her chest. She rested her forehead on her knees and closed her eyes.

 _Every year,_ she thought taking a shaky breath.

 _I need you to promise me you'll stay strong Lara._

"I'm trying," she whispered. She blinked rapidly as her eyes prickled and took a deep breath. Somehow her fingers had found the pendant around her neck again and she forced her hand down.

 _I should talk to Roth,_ she thought, leaning back against the headrest. He would be awkward about this, but at least he would be there for her.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

She needed some serious rest, but she didn't think she could fall asleep again. Maybe if she took a walk along the lake she'd tire herself out.

She tied her hair up into a ponytail then grabbed her jacket from the counter and strapped her pistol to her belt.

The winter night was cold, even with her jacket on and a jumper underneath. It was still early in the night, and curfew was not in place yet. Roth would probably be in the common area hanging out with Reyes and the others, so she headed there first.

The common area was one of the few buildings which had electricity at night. It also had a fireplace which kept the building heated during the cold winter. Almost everyone came here after dinner or even during the day to play games or just chat. It was one of the most well maintained places, as it was one of the few things which staved off boredom.

Lara spotted Alex, Reyes, Alisha and Jonah playing a board game at one of the tables. Roth was suspiciously absent though. Did he head back to his cabin already?

"Hey guys," she said. "Do you know where Roth is?"

The group looked at each other. It was only then she realised that everyone was talking amongst themselves in hushed tones, as if something bad had happened.

"Did something happen?" she asked. "Where's Roth?"

"Roth's fine," Reyes said, looking at her. "He needed to go deal with a problem."

"What problem?"

"Well…" Alex began sheepishly. "It's nothing important really. You should probably head back to bed."

Lara stared at him flatly. "Where is he?"

"Ahh well…" he rubbed the back of his neck and looked around.

Reyes sighed in exasperation. "Roth rescued these two people from the biters," she said. "Mathias is treating the man now and Roth and Vlad are talking to the woman."

Lara frowned. She always took part in deciding what to do with new arrivals. "Why didn't anyone wake me?" she asked.

Alex coughed into his hand. "Roth told us to let you sleep."

"He said it was for the best," Jonah added.

Lara rubbed her brow. Of course he said that. Was this his way at getting back at her for not agreeing to let that Asian guy stay?

"Great," she mumbled. "So he's in the reception building?"

"I don't think he wants you there," Reyes said bluntly.

Lara ignored her. "Is he there or not?"

Alex sighed. "Yeah."

Lara turned and walked out of the building. She stormed towards the reception building and pulled the door open.

Roth had been in a concentrated frown when she entered but his eyes widened in surprise as he turned around. "Lara," he said, "What are you doing here?"

She ignored his question and scowled. "Why did you feel the need to exclude me from this?" she snapped.

Roth sighed. "You needed the rest, girl, and you know why."

Her scowl deepened. So much for him being there for her. "I'm not a child, Roth. I don't need you to pity me."

"Lara?"

Lara looked past Roth and felt her breath catch in her throat. Was that…"Sam?" she asked.

Sam looked as stunned as she felt. She lunged forward suddenly but Vladimir caught her and threw her back. "Don't," he growled menacingly.

"I was just going to hug her!" Sam protested.

Lara just stood there, gaping. Sam had grown since she last saw her…when was it? Five years ago in boarding school? She had no makeup, no designer clothes, long hair and was streaked with dirt, but it was no doubt the Yank she had shared a room with.

"Wait," Roth said, looking between them, "You _know_ her?"

Lara tore her gaze away from Sam and looked at Roth. It took a moment too long to process what was happening. "Umm… yes," she murmured. "We shared a room back in school…before all this." She locked eyes with Sam again who gave her a small smile.

"Can we trust her?"

That parted the fog in her thoughts. Sam had been her best friend, but that had been in a different world. She didn't know her anymore, and she may be dangerous.

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know."

When she looked back up Sam was visibly hurt. Lara looked away and tried to ignore the pang of guilt in her chest. _I don't know her anymore,_ she told herself, _I'm right to be suspicious._

"What does she want anyway?" she asked, looking up at Roth.

Roth folded his arms and leaned against the table. "She wants medicine," he told her. "And to join us."

At that moment Mathias came in. Sam immediately looked to him. "How is he?" she asked.

Mathias glanced at her, looking irritated. "He's shivering," he told them. "His fever is bad. As is his cold."

"Umm, you guys do have medicine right?"

"We do. But not for him."

Sam winced. "Look, I know you don't know us but Will needs that medicine now, before he gets worse. Can't you just treat him now and we can deal with this later?"

"You not in position to demand," Vladimir growled.

Mathias put up a hand and Vladimir backed off. "We don't want to waste supplies on the enemy," he said. Lara pressed her lips together but had to agree. They wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"We're not part of a larger group or anything," Sam said, "I told you before."

"Kill them," Vladimir said. He said something in Russian to Mathias and he nodded.

"We can't let them go," he translated. "If they are part of a larger group they know where we are now and might come back with more people."

"So kill them," Vladimir finished.

Lara and Roth both frowned. That was way too harsh and the more she looked at Sam, the more she believed that she was telling the truth.

"We didn't shoot you two on sight when you arrived," Lara pointed out, referring to Mathias and Vladimir.

"That's because we brought enough medical supplies to last a year," Mathias said.

"You guys want supplies?" Sam interrupted. Everyone turned to look at her. She swallowed. "I know a place where you can find some rifles. Ammo, grenades, maybe some food. It's…maybe five days walk from here?"

Roth narrowed her eyes at her and even Lara was suspicious. This sounded way too good to be true. "If that's true why did you only come with a pistol?" he asked.

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "It…might be behind a fence with a lot of biters." Mathias and Vladimir both scowled. "Look we stumbled across this abandoned military camp, alright?" she quickly said. "It looked like they were trying to set up there but they got overrun and everyone there turned. There _are_ supplies there though I swear."

"It's an ambush," Mathias said.

Lara was thinking the same thing. Sam was nervous, but it was probably because they were all talking about whether or not to kill her. Still, this sounded too good to be true.

"It's not." Sam insisted. "I wouldn't tell you the place had a lot of biters if I wanted to draw you there. Just…" she winced, "If we can't join you, just help Will and we'll leave."

"Pretty face, pretty lies." Vladimir said.

"It sounds an awful lot like a trap." Roth pointed out.

"I'm not lying to you," she said firmly. "I can take you there, I swear."

"I'll go," Lara said. Everyone looked at her. She wasn't sure this was her best idea but Sam had been her friend before, and she felt like she at least owed their friendship this. "Sam can take me there and I'll take a look. We'll come back and if she's not lying she can join us."

Roth's brow dipped. "Lara, this is probably a trap," he said.

"Yes," she agreed. "But we could use the extra ammunition." There was never enough these days. "And if she _is_ lying to us," she added, looking directly at Sam, "Maybe Sam will feel guiltier about leading me into it." Sam pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow.

"I agree," Mathias said. Vladimir grunted. "Lara can go with Sam and Will will stay here as insurance."

Lara saw Sam swallow. She watched her carefully, trying to figure her out. Was she just worried about Will, or was there _actually_ a trap?

Roth rubbed his mouth. He didn't look happy but nodded anyway. "It's settled then," he said. "You can leave tomorrow."

"Wait," Sam said, holding up her hands, "So you're not going to treat Will until we come back? He could die!"

Mathias smirked and walked towards the door. "Best hurry then." Vladimir barked a harsh laugh and left with him.

Lara sighed and walked up to Roth, her back towards Sam. What Mathias was doing was stupid. "Are you really going to let him do that?" she asked him quietly. "He's only going to need more medicine if he deteriorates."

Roth sighed. "Leave it with me, Lara," he said quietly. "I'll tend to him. Tomorrow morning I also need you to help clear some of the infected that were at our front door."

Lara wasn't happy about that prospect but she nodded anyway.

Roth looked at Sam. "Right now, though," he said aloud, "You should take care of your friend. Take her to one of the spare rooms for the night."

"Okay." She looked at Sam who was standing there awkwardly. "Come on."

With a nod to Roth she exited the building with Sam following close behind. The crowd had dispersed but she could see them lingering against the buildings, watching them silently. Lara walked quickly past them, towards the back of the resort where the cabins were. She was acutely aware of Sam behind her, almost having to run to keep up with her.

She led Sam to one of the empty cabins, one which was sufficiently far away enough from the rest of the group so that it wouldn't cause as much tension. It was too dark inside so she told Sam to wait outside while she went to get some candles.

"Okay...I guess I'll be here…" Sam said awkwardly.

Lara felt herself relax when she was away from Sam. This night…she ran a hand over her face. It was too much for her to process.

Lara had thought Sam had died. She didn't know how or when, but Sam wasn't built physically and she highly doubted she had the mental strength to do what survival called for. By Darwin's theory she should have been dead by now.

But here she was, a little worse for wear but very much alive.

Honestly, she didn't know how to feel about that. She was glad of course; Sam still meant something to her. But there was also a part of her which told her not to get blinded by the past; that Samantha was as much of a threat as any other stranger that wandered into their camp.

Lara found a few candles and took a blanket from the closet. She also took a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, thinking that she might want a set of warm, clean clothes. Sam was sitting against the door when she returned, her hands under her armpits for warmth. "Hey, you're back!" she said, standing up.

Lara opened the door and put down the blanket and clothes on the bed. She lit the candles with a match, and they illuminated the gloom a little. "I found you a blanket," she said, lighting the other candles. "And a change of clothes. I'm not sure if they fit you but they're the smallest we have."

"Thank you," Sam murmured, "That's probably the nicest thing that's happened today. Well… aside from you guys saving us."

Lara blew the match out when the final candle was lit. "It's fine," she said. She turned around and saw that Sam had her trousers and shirt off. She looked up at the ceiling, sure that her face was red and cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh! Sorry!" Sam exclaimed, "I just really wanted to get out of these muddy clothes."

Lara was afraid to look back. "Are you hungry?" she said to the wall. "I could get you something."

"Uhh… yeah. I won't say no to free food."

Lara turned around without looking at her. "I'll be right back then."

She stepped outside the door and blew out of her cheeks. Sam was never modest to begin with but you would think she would learn from the apocalypse. She blushed again thinking of her body and focused on the cold air in an attempt to forget.

Dinner was just finishing up in the lodge and tonight was one of the rare nights where there were leftovers. Jonah heated up a bowl of soup and handed it to her. She was glad that he was on cooking duty tonight because anyone else would have turned her away.

Sam was clothed when she returned which was a huge relief. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, combing her fingers through her hair.

"Wow that smells _so_ good," she said, sitting up. She accepted the bowl. "I was going to start chewing the walls soon."

"It's venison stew," Lara said, handing her a bottle of water. "Enjoy."

She started towards the door. "Hey, you're not leaving already are you?" Sam asked. "We still…we haven't really gotten the chance to catch up." She gave her an uncertain smile. "You look good. How have you been?"

Lara sighed. She was still trying to wrap her head around how Sam could possibly be aliveand her lack of sleep wasn't helping. "Sam I'm…I'm pretty tired," she said, rubbing her eyes with a hand. "I'd rather go to sleep."

"Oh yeah, sure," Sam said, waving her hand dismissively. "I get it. Go get some sleep. Thanks for the stew, it's really nice."

Lara nodded. "Good night Sam. We have a long day tomorrow."

She left and closed the door softly behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed one of the families looking in her direction as they walked back to their cabin. When they noticed she had noticed them they quickly looked away and chatted amongst themselves.

Lara took a breath and made her way back to her cabin. Sam would be fine and right now she needed to get some decent rest. She was already regretting volunteering for this journey, purely because of the awful state she was in right now. But she was committed, and there was no going back.


	4. The Living and the Dead

Sam slept better than she ever had that night on an actual, proper bed having eaten actual, proper food. The cabin was freezing though, and even curling up in the foetal position with the blanket cocooned around her didn't stop the goosebumps from rising.

But she did sleep. And the next morning she woke to a loud knock on the door. "Sam." It was Lara. "Wake up. It's morning."

Sam grunted and rubbed her face. Her back was killing her and she could use an extra week's sleep. "You can come in," she murmured.

Lara opened the door, sending a fresh beam of sunlight into the dusty cabin. "Get up. We're leaving soon."

Sam yawned. "Good morning to you too," she remarked.

Lara folded her arms and watched her. It was a little unnerving. She now had this intense predatory gaze, like she was trying to see the best way to take her down.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

She swung her legs off the bed. "Better than I have in a long time," she said. "I wish I could spend the rest of today in bed."

"Sadly, that's not possible," she said. "I'll meet you outside." And with that she walked out the door.

Sam sighed and followed her. So much for trying to have a proper conversation.

Lara was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, but as soon as she emerged she walked off without giving her the chance to speak. Sam opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again. Lara probably wouldn't hear her and _that_ was probably why she kept walking so fast.

She found herself staring at the back of Lara's head as she followed her.

This was insane. Lara was alive. _Her best friend_ was alive.

It was a one in a million chance that they would ever meet up again and now that they had, it was like she never meant anything to Lara.

Wasn't her friend glad to see her?

Wasn't she curious about what had happened to her?

Didn't she care?

Sam had absolutely no idea. She couldn't read Lara at all anymore, and honestly, she _scared_ her a little bit. Right now she had a climbing axe attached to her belt and a bow around her body and she looked like she knew how to use both of those things.

People were _nervous_ around her. _Lara,_ the shy, courteous, and adorable girl. What did she do to make that happen?

Sam was so deep in thought that she bumped into Lara when she stopped. Lara turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Were you listening to anything I just said, Sam?"

She had been talking? Oh shit. "Umm…yeah it is a sunny day!" she smiled.

Lara did not look impressed. "We're going to eat breakfast first," she repeated, "Roth also wants to talk to you."

She led them into what looked like the dining area. A long metal bench with a glass guard sat towards the back of the room, near the kitchen. You could still see what was once a relaxed, front house of a restaurant beneath the grime. There had to be about twenty-five people here, each off in their own groups at small tables. Sam spotted Vladimir sitting with Mathias and several other rough looking men at one bench.

Lara sat them down at an empty table. Several people turned to look at them with curiosity and suspicion and Sam shifted uncomfortably. Lara glanced over her shoulder then back. "Ignore them," she said.

Roth was talking with a dark skinned woman but when he saw them he walked over. Lara glanced at him and smiled grimly. "I'll go get us some breakfast," she said as Roth sat down.

Sam watched her walk away and looked back at Roth. The man was watching her, arms folded, eyes like a fox. Was this where Lara got that creepy look from?

Sam cleared her throat. "So…" she said, "How's Will? Is he…worse?"

"I gave your friend some medicine," he said, unfolding his arms. "He's recovering. A few days rest and he'll be fine. Assuming you can come up with your end of the bargain."

Sam opened her mouth to protest _again_ that she wasn't lying to them but then realised that it was hopeless to argue. They had a right to be suspicious and the only way to prove that she wasn't lying was to _show_ them.

Suddenly, she wasn't hungry. What happened if someone else beat them to it? Sure, there were a lot of biters there, but if you had enough bullets, you could kill them all. Would Lara kill her on the spot? Or would she bring her back here so Vlad or Mathias could?

Lara returned with three bowls of mixed peaches, pineapples and what looked like grapes. Okay, now she was hungry. She accepted her bowl with thanks and started scoffing down the fruit.

Roth brought out a map and spread it on the table. "So, Sam," he said, "Can you show us where this camp is?"

Sam chewed on the peaches and stared at the map. "Uhh…" She wasn't sure if she could recognise the camp on a map. "Where are we?"

"Here." Roth placed his finger next to a lake. Sam spotted the road in which they came and followed it back towards Swindon. She didn't realise how far they had travelled over the past few weeks, though her legs sure remembered.

"I…think it was around here." She pointed to a place to the side of the road. "Maybe. I'm not sure. I wasn't exactly counting my steps then."

Roth and Lara shared a look. Sam returned to her fruit before they turned that look to her again. "Okay then." Lara said. She pushed back her chair and stood. "I'll go prepare. Just escort Sam down to the parking lot when she's done."

The rest of breakfast proceeded in silence. Roth didn't seem like one to be good at small talk and Sam didn't want to say anything that might give him reason to distrust her more.

When she was done Roth led her down to the front of the resort.

In the morning light, she could see the front entrance clearer. The gate was like an airlock- it had two layers with the inner most being a makeshift wall of metal, and the outermost being the iron gate which was here previously.

Two people kept watch on makeshift platforms which extended out from the stone wall. Sam didn't think you could see much in the distance as there were plenty of trees obscuring the main road. However, it was unlikely that large hordes of biters or strangers would stumble across here, and with the lake bordering the west side, this place was pretty secure.

In the parking lot, Sam saw that Lara was saddling a horse. A _horse_.

Sam stared at it and had to resist the urge to go up and pat it. She had seen a few wild ones running in the fields but it was amazing that they had managed to tame one.

Roth said something to Lara which was too quiet for Sam to hear. They hugged and then Roth went back to the resort with one last glance at Sam.

Sam walked up to Lara who was fixing the saddle. "Wow, where did you guys get a horse?" she asked, examining him. "What's his name? It is a 'him' right?"

Lara pulled the strap tight then turned to her. She locked her hazel eyes onto Sam's and she could feel her sizing her up again. Sam shrunk into herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

It seemed like forever when Lara finally spoke. "Can I trust you?" she asked.

There was no way she could lie even if she wanted to. Those dark eyes would see straight through it. "Yes," she answered.

Lara stared at her for another moment and Sam found herself holding her breath. Lara took a step closer and Sam felt the hairs rise on her skin. "Just a warning," she said in her ear, "If you try _anything…_ I will _not_ hesitate to kill you."

Sam swallowed and nodded. She felt something cold touch her stomach and looked down to see a pistol. Sam wrapped her fingers around the grip and accepted the gun from her.

Lara stepped away and Sam finally took a breath. _God…_

She had been wondering if Lara actually believed her, and now she got her answer. She swallowed and tried not to be too hurt by it. It was entirely reasonable for them all to be suspicious she reminded herself.

"You do know how to use it, don't you?" Lara asked, pulling herself up on the horse.

"Umm yeah…" she said, "I don't have the best aim though." She slipped the pistol under her belt and jumped up behind Lara. She gripped Lara's waist as she tried to adjust to being up off the ground.

"Let's hope we won't need to use them then." She touched the spurs to the horse and set them off at a quick trot.

They headed back down the road from which Sam had Will had come from. Lara didn't talk, only kept them on the right track and away from danger. Sam still had so many questions for her but she was afraid that Lara was going to give her a stunted, one-word answer. So she just watched the trees pass by and held Lara tighter as the wind sent shivers through her body.

The trees to their left eventually cleared into what looked like an overgrown field. "If we cut through here," Lara said, turning the horse that way, "Then we can be on the other road faster."

Sam held on tight as Lara jumped a stone wall. "Why didn't we just cut through the forest?" she asked.

"The trees are too dense, and the ground uneven," she answered. "It would have taken too long to lead the horse through."

"Oh. Okay."

The awkwardness resettled between them.

Sam listened to the clip clop of the horse's shoes, but the uncomfortableness built up until she couldn't take it anymore. "So what happened to you?" she blurted out. "After it all started."

Lara didn't answer but there was no way she couldn't have heard her. "Come on Lara," she prompted, "You owe me something."

Lara sighed and slowed their pace down to a walk. "After the outbreak," she said, "I stuck with Roth. He was…a friend of my father's and he looked after me; taught me how to use a gun and how to survive. We headed for the shore and on the way we met Reyes and Alisha, her daughter. But when we got to the shore all the boats were taken. Grimm and Jonah were already there and after that we all just...tried to survive."

"What about your parents?"

Lara stiffened under her arms and Sam realised how stupid that question was. What did she think happened?

"They died," Lara answered brusquely. "The same that happens to everybody."

"I'm sorry," Sam began, "I didn't-"

"What happened to _your_ parents?" she interrupted, "Weren't you going to meet them at the airport when I left?"

Sam closed her mouth. Lara was surprisingly sensitive to this topic when she was so apathetic to everything else. But she dropped it. This was the first real talk they had and she didn't want to ruin it.

"I…don't know what happened to my parents," she admitted. She sighed. She thought about them occasionally and was always met with regret. "I'm sure they were still in Japan when it happened and I don't know whether the virus has spread there or what."

"It most likely has," Lara said sombrely. "We would have received help by now if the rest of the world was safe."

"Great," Sam said bitterly, "At least I know that they didn't abandon me here."

Lara was quiet. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

Sam sighed. "Me too." Now that they were gone, Sam realised that she had wasted so much time being mad at her parents. But then again, would they even have looked twice at her if she was a well behaved little girl?

"Do you see that?" Lara asked.

Sam looked up. A few metres in front was a car which looked like it was stuck in a rut. There were maybe four biters around it, eating something on the ground.

"You go left." Lara said, jumping off the horse. She unhooked her bow and drew an arrow.

"Wait, what?" Sam asked, clambering down after her.

Lara looked at her and nodded towards the biter. Surely she didn't expect her to kill them?

 _Go,_ Lara mouthed. She turned around and fired the arrow, leaving Sam no choice but to go left.

The biter looked up instantly, and when they saw fresh meat, they all screeched and started stumbling towards them. Sam strafed left, away from Lara, and fired at them. One of the biters looked at her then started coming after her. Sam backed away and squeezed the trigger until it fell.

She looked over at Lara who gracefully dodged the lunge of the last biter. Sam watched her kick the back of its knee and then bring the axe down on its head.

Behind her, Sam saw another biter stumble out from the far side of the car towards them. Taking care not to hit Lara, she raised her gun and fired at it, piercing its head.

Lara straightened and looked behind her. She looked back at Sam and narrowed her eyes, and only then did Sam realise that it looked like she was trying to shoot her.

Lara's look made her want to apologise but she had nothing to apologise for. So she lowered her gun and held Lara's stare until she went back to the corpse and wrenched her axe out.

Sam watched her cautiously before walking back over to her. "Good job," Lara said, wiping her axe on the biter.

Sam put the pistol back under her belt and looked around. The biters had been eating the carcass of a dog she saw. The body was so torn and bloodied that she couldn't tell what breed it had been. The sight made her sad so she knelt down next to Lara and helped her search the bodies.

"Thanks," she murmured.

Lara detached a knife out of a man's belt and offered it to her.

Sam looked at it then up at Lara. "I'm not good with a knife," she said. "The further I stay away from them the better."

Lara frowned at her, brow dipped, silent. Sam blinked back at her until she couldn't take it anymore and took the knife. Lara scrutinized her for a while longer. "How did you survive this long?" she asked.

Sam barked a laugh. "Honestly, I've been asking the same thing every day," she said. She stood and attached the knife to her belt. "I don't know. I've mostly lived in quarantine zones."

"Just one?"

"No…I think I've been to like three this past year." She pressed her lips together. "It's probably pure luck to be honest. Everyone I end up with ends up dying, but…" she shrugged, "I'm still here." She noticed that Lara had her eyes narrowed at her and quickly added, "I don't kill them or anything, alright? It just…happens."

"I believe you." Lara said. She stood up and went to search the car. "You need to learn to use close-ranged weapons. Ammo is too scarce here. "

"Are you offering lessons?" she asked hopefully.

Lara looked back at her again, frowning. "Don't get ahead of yourself," she warned.

Sam watched her return to the search and turned back towards the horse. Lara didn't seem to be that cold, but Sam was still enemy number one.

Lara found a bottle of water in the car and Sam found a small packet of beef jerky and a beanie under a seat. Sam put the beanie on, glad for the extra warmth, and then they returned to the horse and set off across the field. When they reached the other side of the field, they turned right down the road. They were making better time than her first trip and taking a horse was much easier on her feet.

They continued in silence until the horse slowed to a stop and Sam looked up. "What's happening?" she asked.

"There is someone coming towards us," Lara said. She got off the horse, allowing Sam to see ahead and realise that that someone was just a small girl.

She looked no older than ten, and her pony tail had been pulled out on one side. She was limping, and she looked unhealthily skinny but she was still weakly waving an arm at them.

Sam jumped down and started walking towards the girl. Lara caught her arm and roughly pulled her back. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

Sam pulled her arm free and frowned. "She's not a threat, Lara," she said. "And she looks hurt. We need to help her."

"It might be a trap." Lara said.

"Or it might be someone who genuinely needs help." Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked towards the girl.

"Sam!" Lara hissed behind her.

Sam drew her gun, but she didn't intend to use it. This was just a precaution in case the girl turned out to be hostile. "Stop there," she called out. The girl stopped immediately. She held her side and looked at her with large eyes as Sam walked closer.

Sam stopped a metre from the girl and scrutinized her carefully. The girl didn't move, but watched her with a helpless expression. She didn't look like she was carrying any weapons, and looked too weak to be a threat.

Sam took a step closer and knelt down in front of her so she was less intimidating. "What's your name?" she asked.

The girl licked her dry lips. When she spoke, it was barely a rasp. " _Em…Em..._ " She coughed.

Sam turned around to Lara. "Lara!" she called. "Do you have water?"

Lara knelt down next to her and rummaged through her bag. She took out a bottle of clean water and offered it to the girl who, grabbed it and greedily began drinking it.

"Hey!" Lara snatched the bottle away before she drank anymore. "That's enough."

The girl wiped her mouth and smiled. "Thank you," she said, her voice slightly clearer. "My name's Emily."

Sam smiled. "Hi Emily. I'm Sam." She nodded to Lara. "And that's Lara."

Emily winced and clutched her side again. "Can you help me?" she asked pleadingly. "My father- he got shot. And-and I don't know what to do."

"Where is he?" Sam asked.

Emily turned around and limped back towards where she came. Sam hadn't noticed before but there was a body lying off to the side of the road. She ran after Emily and was aware of Lara slowly following behind her.

Sam knelt down in front of the man as the Emily launched into a story about what happened. They were trying to escape from Swindon when the zone was collapsing but her father had gotten shot, trying to protect her. They had managed to get out but her father finally collapsed after five days here, on the side of the road. He hadn't been out for more than an hour.

Lara had knelt down and was inspecting Emily's father while Sam was listening to her story. "I escaped from Swindon too," she told Emily. "I'm glad you got out of there."

"Can you help him?" Emily asked them. "Please?"

Lara had taken off the man's backpack and was looking through it. Her eyebrow quirked as she rummaged through it.

Sam lifted up the man's shirt to inspect the wound. It had crusted over, and it was swollen red and oozing pus. It reeked, and it was clearly infected.

"Do you have antibiotics?" she asked Lara.

Lara looked up at her, then at the man. "Not for him," she said, standing up. She took a packet of tissues from the bag and then dropped it on the floor. "Come on, let's go."

Sam frowned. "Lara-"

"Wait! Can't you fix him?" Emily interrupted, catching her wrist.

Lara looked at her and shook her wrist free. "Your father will not recover," she said, her face expressionless. "He's lost too much blood and his wound is infected."

"What? No he promised me that he'll be alright!" she exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes.

Lara clenched her jaw. "Well he shouldn't have promised something he couldn't keep." She turned and started walking back to the horse.

Sam watched Emily drop to her knees by her father, tears streaming from her eyes. She sobbed, patting his cheek frantically, begging him to wake up.

Sam bit her tongue and stood up. How could Lara be so cold? She could feel her blood steadily rising as she watched Emily cry. Fine, okay, she understood that it wouldn't be smart to waste their supplies but she didn't need to be so callous when breaking the news to her.

She clenched her fist. "Lara," she said, walking towards her.

Lara turned. "What is it?"

Sam stopped in front of her. "What was that?" she asked.

"What?"

"You didn't have to be so cold. She's just a little girl."

"There isn't an easy way to tell someone that someone they love is dead," she said. "It's best to be direct."

"You seriously don't have to be a bitch about it."

Lara rolled her eyes which just infuriated Sam. "Come on, we need to go," she said, starting off.

"What are we going to do about Emily?" Sam asked. She was still sobbing in the background and it twisted her heart.

"Nothing," she called over her shoulder. "She's not our problem."

"We can't leave a little girl out here by herself," Sam argued, following her. "We should take her with us."

Lara stopped and Sam almost crashed into her. "That's not going to happen," she growled. "She will not survive- we do not have enough supplies to sustain her in her state, and the _both_ of us."

"You can't just _leave_ her," Sam repeated. "We need to at least try to help her."

"She's going to die, Sam," she said, annoyed. "There's no use."

Sam gritted her teeth. "You can't know that."

Lara sighed, exasperated. "Let me tell you something," she said, "There are two kinds of people in this world; the living and the dead. If the living wants to stay _alive,_ sometimes we need to do things that we don't want to."

"Yeah well the girl is still _living_ and I want to keep her that way." She growled and ran a hand over her face. "Give me your bag," she said.

Lara folded her arms. "No."

"Fine…then give me the water bottle."

Lara narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Lara wouldn't give it to her if she told the truth, even though it was clear she knew anyways. "Because I'm thirsty," she said.

"If you're thirsty I'll give you the bottle when we next rest. You can wait."

"No, actually I'm really parched." Sam insisted. She knew she was playing with fire but she didn't care if she got burnt. "Just hand me the bottle."

Lara sighed then handed her the water bottle.

"And how about that jerky I found?" Sam asked.

Lara narrowed her eyes but handed it over. When Sam reached to take it, Lara didn't let go. "We should leave now Sam," she said, her voice low. It was a threat.

Sam held her stare. She wouldn't back down from this. "Give me a moment." She tugged the packet out her hand and walked back to Emily. She was resting on her father's chest now, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Sam knelt down beside her. "Emily," she said quietly, putting a gentle hand on her back. "I'm sorry."

Emily sniffed and looked at her with bloodshot eyes.

"You can't stay here," Sam continued. "It's not safe."

Emily looked down at her father and rubbed her nose. If he hadn't died yet, he would soon. She spotted a handgun on Emily's father's belt and took it out. There was half a clip left. There were also some water purification tablets in his backpack along with a brush, a lighter and a small torch.

"Okay," Sam said, zipping up the bag. She turned Emily around so she was looking at her. "There's a resort near here called Rosewater Resort," she told her. "It's maybe a day's walk from here- just head east along this road. It's at an intersection. Go there. There are people there that will help you, okay?"

Emily looked back at her father and her eyes started watering again. "I-I…I don't…"

Sam grabbed her hands. "Look, you have to alright? Your dad would want you to move on, to keep on living. You can't let all his sacrifices be in vain."

Emily looked down and wiped her cheeks. "I'll…I'll try."

Sam released a breath and handed her the handgun. "Okay. Here's some water and beef jerky as well." She put the bottle on the ground. "I need to go now but use the gun to protect yourself, alright? Try not to use it if you can, you don't have much ammo and you'll attract-"

"I know," Emily interrupted. She looked down. "He taught me these things."

Sam rubbed her shoulder. "Okay," she said, standing up. "I hope I'll see you there."

Emily looked down at the gun in his hands then sat back down next to her father.

Sam walked back to Lara who had watched the whole exchange in silence from the horse. She didn't say anything as she approached, just stared at her with folded arms. As she passed her Lara caught her arm in a vice grip.

She tried to pull her arm away but Lara's grip only tightened. "You'd do best not to overstep your boundaries again, Samantha," she said in her ear, her voice low. "Else it will not end well for you."

Sam scowled. There was a little girl who just lost her father and Lara was worried about a few supplies.

She couldn't believe how cold and merciless she had become. "You've changed a lot," she said quietly. "And not in a good way."

Lara didn't even blink. "You should do the same if you wish to continue living in this world." She let her arm go. "Now get on the horse."


	5. Guts

**Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for the edits and a special thanks for all the reviews.**

* * *

Lara stared into the night, feeling her eyelids drift close.

 _No._

She jerked awake and straightened, looking around.

It was quiet, and the only thing she could see was her misty breath in front of her.

Sam had stopped glaring at her an hour ago and was now curled up on a blanket next to her. She was asleep, but hopefully she could wake up fast enough if the need arose.

Lara rubbed the back of her neck so it didn't become stiff and tugged her hoodie down over her ears. She had decided to take first watch as they camped on the side of the road, as she didn't trust herself to wake after she went to sleep.

She looked back at Sam who had now rolled onto her side. Her childhood best friend hadn't changed much. Yes, she was hardened like everyone in this world was, but she was too compassionate, too trusting and worryingly incapable. That was how she knew that the story she told was true.

Lara looked down at the twig she was fidgeting with. Still, some part of her was attracted to that kindness, and she had regretted the way she handled their encounter with Emily earlier.

That girl and her father were gone and she couldn't waste any of their supplies just to keep the girl going for another day. A small part of her was glad though, when Sam had insisted to give her the water and jerky, which was maybe why she had given it to her in the first place. But she still couldn't let that insubordination go unpunished; she needed to know that there were certain lines she should never cross.

Lara returned to staring into the dark, descending into a semi-alert trance until it was time for Sam's shift. Then, she woke her up and took her own reprise, until dawn came and they had a quick breakfast before setting off.

The next day was uneventful. They galloped past the few biters there were and with the speed of a horse the day passed by quickly.

"Tell me about this place." Lara asked Sam as they ate their dinner for that night.

Sam looked up from her soup. "Okay…what do you want to know?"

"Just describe the place. How did you find it?"

"Umm…it's off to the side of the road. Down a short dirt path. There's a lot of biters, just walking around. At the front there's a large house or building thing and next to it is the shed. There were guns- rifles, M16s I think, and some shotguns. I think the soldiers turned and that's why they're just lying there."

Lara nodded and contemplated what she heard. It was amazing that they hadn't known there was an orchard there until now- the map hadn't shown it so they had focused on exploring Bath and Bristol. Fresh fruit would have been a blessing and they could have saved the canned goods for emergencies. Hopefully, reaching them was still viable.

Sam took the first shift this time, but sleep didn't come easy. She kept hearing small noises in the night which made her bolt upright, but it only turned out to be Sam shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Sighing, Lara lay back down and tried to get back to sleep. She managed, but after what felt like ten minutes she was woken up for her watch. And soon enough, the sun rose and they were on their way again.

They passed a small town, which Sam told her they had rested in for a night. "We're close," she added. "Maybe another hour at this rate."

It was almost midday when they reached the road to the orchard.

"We should get off," Sam said. "And be careful. They're behind a fence but there are a lot of them."

Lara slowed the horse down to a trot and dismounted. "Stay here with Arion." She told Sam, "I'll go look and then come back. Make sure he doesn't bolt."

Sam took the reins from her and nodded. She hesitated, "Arion?" she asked.

Lara looked at the horse's golden coat and stroked it. "Yeah. Arion was an immortal horse in Greek mythology. He was a son of Poseidon, though not as famous as Pegasus. "

Arion bumped her with his nose as if he knew they were talking about him.

Sam smiled coyly. "I didn't know you were still a history nerd."

Lara could feel her cheeks tinge and she cleared her throat. Sam had often teased her for being such a bookworm and it had been a long time since someone had mentioned it. "I'll be right back."

Lara walked up the road, a hand on her axe. She stopped a safe distance from the camp and saw that what Sam told her was true. There were a lot of guns on the ground that they could always use, but there were a lot of biters, far too many to kill. There weren't any breaches in the fence she could see, but maybe there was a safe spot where they could climb over.

She returned to Sam. "So?" she asked, fidgeting with the reins.

"You were right," Lara said warily. A yawn overtook her and she rubbed her face. "But there are too many. We'll walk around the perimeter, see if there's a safe place to cross over."

"Wait, but you've seen that I was right, so why can't we just go back and tell them that?"

"Mathias would want proof," she said bitterly. "And then Roth would need it too."

"Okay…"

Lara took the reins from her and then led them to the left of the orchard. As they walked, they saw that there were more biters stumbling around the the back. The fence became reinforced with sheets of metal, pallets and boards of wood, but there was no safe place to climb over as they could barely see what was on the other side. The trees however, had fruit that were ripening. She could see apples, plums and cherries, all hanging safely above the biters' heads.

This place was a gold mine, and it could support them for a long time. They only needed to find a way in.

The back fence was the most well reinforced. It was the smartest move seeing that the survivors could not see it very well compared to the front. However their plan obviously failed, and when they came across a fallen section of the fence she saw why.

"That explains how they got in," Sam noted. Lara tied Arion up to a tree well away from the biters then walked around the breach. There weren't any biters that she could see. They must have all moved towards the front, where there was a fight or something.

Lara walked slowly to the breach and peered inside. There was only one biter nearby trying to reach a crow in the tree. She could see many more shambling between the rows up ahead, but they were too far away to see her.

"We could try taking them out one by one," Sam suggested.

"That will only work until we reach a large group of them," Lara said. "Same goes for sneaking around them." She scanned the area. "We could try distracting them," she thought aloud. "Maybe you could draw their attention from one side while I climb over the other." She shook her head. "No that's too dangerous." She looked down at her pistol. "Maybe we need to just charge. We might be able to reach the guns before they reach us."

"That's suicide, Lara," Sam said.

Lara sighed. "If we had more people we could perhaps draw them out by making noise...But we don't have that liberty."

Sam was staring at the scene as well. "Well maybe…" She stopped that thought and shook her head. "No don't worry."

Lara looked at Sam. She seemed conflicted about something. "What is it?" she asked. "Do you have a plan?"

Sam hesitated. "Well…I heard…when I was in Swindon, about this guy who walked through a whole horde of biters. Apparently he covered himself in biter guts and they totally ignored him." Lara frowned at where this story was going. " _Maybe_ we could do the same thing and walk through the horde to somewhere safe."

Lara scowled. "That's insane, Sam."

Sam looked offended. "As opposed to your plan?"

Lara pressed her lips together. "Fine. We'll test your plan." She drew her axe and dispatched the lone biter. Then she dragged the body back to the entrance and dropped it in front of Sam. "Okay. Your turn."

Sam frowned at her then knelt down and drew her knife. She took off the man's tattered jacket then put it over her own clothes. Sam glanced up at her before cutting straight down the biter's chest. She looked queasy as she opened up his chest and started smearing it all over her body; on her jacket, on her jeans and on her face.

"God, I feel so gross," she muttered. "And these were just cleaned."

"At least you look like them now," Lara commented. She crept up to the fourth row of trees and knelt behind a tree. "Right. There are two biters over there, by the fence. If you can walk past them without raising suspicion then come back and we'll take it from there."

Sam looked at them nervously. "And if I can't?"

Lara unslung her bow and nocked an arrow. "Keep your knife out. I should be able to take out one or both before they bite you. But be prepared."

Sam nodded and took a deep breath. "Don't worry," Lara said reassuringly, "I got your back."

"Yep." She nodded and gripped the knife tightly. Then, she tilted her head, put on a limp and shuffled towards the pair of biters.

Lara stayed close to the trees a good distance beside her and kept her bow at the ready. The biters were just wandering around, moaning. Lara drew an arrow back and lined it up with one of their heads as Sam shuffled closer. The biter paid no attention to her, even when they were practically rubbing shoulders; they just continued shambling on with their own business.

Still, Lara didn't lower her bow until Sam had shuffled away from them and regrouped with her a few metres away.

Sam released a breath and leaned against a tree. "Fuck," she said. "Damn, I thought they would definitely attack me."

"But they didn't," she said with a smile. "And now we have a way through." All Sam could do was nod. "Just take a break here," Lara continued. "I'll be right back."

While Sam regained her breath on the floor, Lara crept back to the pair of biters and dispatched them with two quick shots of her bow. She found what may have been a blanket and cut it into a rough poncho. Then, she rubbed the biter's innards all over it and streaked her face with it. When she returned Sam had recovered and was looking forwards, towards the mass of biters.

Lara knelt down next to her. "Are you okay?" she asked, "We're going to have to face a lot more."

Sam waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She looked at her and scrunched her nose. "Damn I wish I found a poncho."

Lara smiled. "Come on. If we survive this I'll give you a new pair of jeans."

They walked down towards the main area, gradually slowing down to a shuffle as they approached the biters. Lara felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as she walked slowly past. She could swear that their eyes were on her, but she wondered if that was just her imagination or if they could sense her disguise.

They were moaning and growling, but Lara was acutely aware of her own heartbeat in her ears. Her hand was tight around her axe, and she was tempted to swing at every one of them that brushed her shoulder. Sam was walking a few feet away from her and caught her eye. _Relax,_ she seemed to say. Lara frowned and looked forward. How was she so calm when they were about to walk into a horde?

They passed very few bodies - instead just more biters. If people tried to escape, they must not have made it.

They stopped when they reached the back of the house. Inside, she could clearly see several biters walking about, some occasionally walking out the back door. There would probably be something inside, but she didn't like being in closed quarters. But then again, outside didn't seem any better. If they started a fight, they would be overwhelmed very quickly.

"Lara," Sam hissed, "They're staring."

"Through the gate," she told her quietly. "I'll try to get a rifle." She began shuffling along. They knew what was outside, but they didn't know how many were inside. Chances were that the people here had backed up into the house when things turned sour. If they went in, they would probably have to use their gun.

Lara led the way slowly to the gate by the side. The shed was directly in front of them with its two barn-like doors chained shut. To the right, dozens and dozens of biters stumbled around. She caught glimpses of the guns on the floor between their legs.

Lara shuffled over to the nearest one. A biter lifted its head, growling slightly with no jaw as she came a little too close. Lara stepped to the side, her hand tightening on her axe as she moved forward. She waited for a hand to grab her back but nothing happened.

She took deep breaths to remain calm. Her eyes scanned the biters around her as she slowly leant down and picked up the rifle. She then moved along as quickly yet as cautiously as she could and stumbled behind the shed, which was thankfully clear of biters.

Sam appeared soon and walked up to her. She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. "So you got it?" she asked quietly.

Lara checked the magazine. There looked about half a clip left but it would have been too dangerous to use anyways. "Yes."

"Okay…Is one enough?"

Lara sighed. "We should probably get a few more."

"A few?!" Sam quietly exclaimed.

Lara closed her eyes. "I know. I don't want to walk through them again either." She rubbed her brow. These past few days have made her stress levels go off the chart. She really could use some sleep.

"Hey?" Sam said, touching her arm, "You okay?"

Lara shook her hand off and straightened. "I'm fine," she growled.

Sam frowned. "I was just asking," she murmured. She shook her head. "We should check the shed," she suggested. "There might be something useful in there."

"How many biters were in there?"

Sam sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. There was only one door in and it looks like it's where some people failed to make their final stand. Maybe we could close the door and take out the ones in there."

Lara nodded. "Sounds good." She handed the rifle to Sam. "Sling it over your back. Don't use it if you can help it."

Behind Sam, Lara saw a biter stumble around the corner. Lara caught her breath as it looked up at them, a low scream bubbling in its throat.

Lara pushed past Sam and grabbed the biter before it could scream. Sam fell roughly against the shed as Lara pulled the biter towards them and threw it against the ground. She plunged her knife into its head.

"Shit," Lara swore, quickly wiping her knife on its clothes. "We need to move now."

Sam pushed herself off the wall and nodded. She checked for any biters then shuffled back into the crowd.

Lara stepped over the corpse and quickly followed Sam's lead. It wasn't too soon either, as she heard the growls of several biters come from where they had just been. She realised she had stopped breathing and forced herself to start again.

Lara shuffled back to the main area and went inside the shed. There was a door on the far side of the room which must have led to the other side of the building - the storage area maybe? There was one of those ride-on lawn-mowers inside with maybe six biters walking about.

Six. They could handle that. Maybe. They only needed to take them out before they started screaming.

She quietly closed the door behind them as Sam shuffled through.

Lara caught Sam's eye and gestured for her to go to the left. Then she pointed to one of the biters on the side of the room and put her finger to her lips, telling her to kill it quietly. Sam nodded and gripped her knife. Lara hoped that she knew what she meant.

Lara moved to the right side of the room and looked around. Two of the biters on this side were shambling around the edges while one was walking towards the middle. Sam was in place on the other side and she had chosen one which the other's weren't looking at.

When she nodded, Lara stabbed the middle biter in the head. She tore the knife out and jumped left to kick the back of the other biter's knees. She stabbed it as it fell.

She turned around as she heard a choked noise and saw that Sam was grappling with a biter. Her knife was stuck in the biter she had killed and another one was growling and heading towards her.

Lara pulled her knife out then threw it at the biter stumbling towards Sam. She kicked the one Sam was grappling with hard in the side, sending it stumbling off her. She picked up a hammer and smashed its head until it stopped moving.

A hand grabbed her back and pushed her down. Her heart jumped to her throat and she tried to turn around but she was in such an awkward position. She could feel its teeth near her neck, but then it collapsed on top of her, its blood splattering on the back of her head.

"Fuck," Sam cursed quietly. She pulled the knife out of its head then helped push the body off her. Lara stumbled up and rubbed the gunk off the back of her neck.

"Sorry," Sam said, looking sheepish. "The knife got stuck."

"It's okay," Lara replied, looking around. "Thanks for saving me."

"Well, one for one hey?"

Lara smiled grimly at her then went to retrieve her knife. "You should go for their knees first," she told Sam. "Just kick them. Then hit their heads."

"Right. I'll remember that next time."

She looked around the room. Now that they weren't in immediate danger she allowed herself to fully take in her surroundings. This just looked like a normal tool shed - there were tools on the floor and fertilisers and pesticides on the shelves.

There was a body on the floor with his face half eaten. He had a shotgun and Lara picked it up without looking at its face. On one of the biters they just killed, she retrieved a pistol from his belt and tucked it under her own.

Two primary weapons and a pistol had to be enough right? Plus, Roth would take her word on things here. If they had more people and more equipment they could properly clean out this place.

"Lara," Sam called softly. She had gone through the door on the other side. Lara followed her and saw that they stood in a shipping and receiving area that had a bunch of boxes and crates stacked against the walls.

"Look what I found," Sam grinned, holding up a blue and orange box. Lara's heart stopped a little as she realised what she was holding.

Sam walked over to her. "You used to love these," she said, handing her the box of Jaffa Cakes.

"I still do," she said, opening the box. She tried to restrain her excitement. She had been disappointed before, finding empty boxes or, worse, one with a rat inside.

Lara grinned as she pulled out a foil wrapped cylinder and a perfectly round biscuit. She took a bite and sighed at the familiar taste of orange.

Sam was still grinning. "I think this is the first time I've actually seen you smile," she said.

Lara rolled her eyes and offered one to Sam. She took one gratefully and Lara put the rest safely in her bag. "Thank you," she said, "We should see what else is in here."

Most of the boxes contained rotted jars of conservatives and picked fruits. But buried in the corner under the rotted ones, there was a whole box of different preserved fruits.

Lara opened one and smelt it. The scent of mulled cherries filled her nostrils and made her mouth water. Carefully, she took out a cherry and tasted it. It tasted slightly strange, but not off or anything.

"How is it?" Sam asked.

"Good," she said, offering the jar to her. "Edible at least."

Sam tried one and scrunched her nose. "Sour," she remarked. "I wish there was some ice-cream to eat with this. It would be nice because it's all syrupy."

Lara opened her pack and put two jars in it. Anymore and her bag would be too heavy to run with if necessary. She also strapped the shotgun to the outside.

Lara stood and shouldered her bag. "There must be more food in the house," she said, walking back to the other room. "The soldiers must have overlooked this one."

She wiped the dirty window and peered outside. The biters were still shambling around, unaware of what was happening in here. It would be too dangerous to get to the house though, or go for the weapons again.

"We're leaving," she said, pushing herself off the window. "Let's go."

"Wait," Sam said, following her, "Don't we only have two guns? Will that be enough?"

"It will have to be," she said, "It's too dangerous to get any more and if we _have_ any more it'll draw too much attention to us."

"Okay then."

Lara opened the door an inch and peered through the crack. An biter stumbled in front of her and she forced her hand to stay still. Her other hand slowly reached for the axe at her belt, but after a moment, the biter moved on and the way was clear.

"Let's go," she said to Sam.

She opened the door slowly, so as to not attract attention and then shuffled out. The biters carried along with their monotonous mumbling, only some barely glancing up with momentary curiosity.

It felt like maybe half an hour before they reached the exit again. They encountered no further trouble and Lara felt like collapsing from stress when they reached Arion. He shied away from her but stopped when she took the poncho off.

"Oh my god," Sam said, sitting down on the grass. She took the gut-stained jacket off. "I can't believe that worked."

"Neither can I," Lara said, her hands resting on her hips. She took a drink from her water bottle and tossed it to Sam.

"Thanks," Sam said, gulping down the rest. "So does this mean I can join you guys now?"

"That's up to Roth to decide," she said, taking the bottle back. "But you most likely will."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief and let out a shaky laugh. "Really? Gods, you don't know what that means! To have somewhere stable to stay!"

Lara frowned. Things weren't exactly 'stable' at the moment, though she didn't mention this to Sam. "You'll have to earn your keep," she told her. "You'll be on probation for a month and any infringement will be dealt with harshly."

Sam shrugged. "Not much different from quarantine zones."

"Then you'll fit in nicely."

Sam laughed and held her hand up, waiting for a high-five. Lara looked at Sam, an eyebrow raised.

"Well come on, don't leave me hanging!" she said. "We did good back there, Lara. We make a good team."

Lara chuckled and shook her head. She met Sam's hand with audible slap. "Come on," she said, smiling, "Let's get back."


	6. Small Pleasures

Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing this.

* * *

"It'll be dark soon," Lara said. "We should rest in that house for the night."

Sam looked up to where Lara was referring. It was the same town that she and Will had rested in before. "There are some biters in that house," she said, pointing to the left back one. "But the rest should be empty."

"Okay," Lara said, stopping in the middle of the collection of houses. She jumped off Arion. "We should still be careful." Sam followed suit, wincing as her thighs protested in pain.

The three open houses were still devoid of life. Lara tied Arion to a fence post and then took a drink. "How many biters are in that house?" Lara asked her, nodding to the one still closed.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know," she accepted the bottle Lara offered. "It sounded like five or more?"

Lara stared at the house, silent. Sam followed her gaze but she couldn't see anything interesting. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

"We can take them," she said, slinging off her bow. "It will be easy. You can just open the door and I'll stand over there and kill them with my bow."

"Umm," Sam fidgeted with the hilt of her knife. "Is it really worth it? I mean there might not be anything in there."

"I still want to search, though." She began walking towards the house. Sam hesitated for a moment before following. "The risk will be minimal," she continued. "Just open and stay behind the door. As they funnel out I'll kill them with my bow from afar."

"Okay…" Sam walked up to the door and looked back at Lara who stood about two metres away. She nocked an arrow and nodded.

Sam drew her knife then banged her fist against the door. Instantly she heard several biters stir inside, moaning and making their way over. When she heard them start banging and scratching at the door, she took a deep breath and pulled it open.

As soon as she moved away an arrow whizzed past her head. Sam bit back a yelp and pressed herself against the wall as the biters stumbled out of the door. She gripped her knife, ready to strike but it turned out she didn't need to.

Lara was deadly and efficient. As soon as she had a clear shot she took them down, only missing once. Soon they were all dead around her feet and Lara was shouldering her bow again.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" Sam asked, amazed.

Lara looked up and smiled bashfully. "Nowhere really," she said, retrieving her arrows. "Roth taught me the basics and I kind of just went from there." She sighed as an arrow broke in the biter's head. "I'm running out of arrows though." She threw the shaft off to the side. "They're hard to fletch but even harder to find."

"I would like a crossbow," Sam contemplated. "Silent, but easy to use."

"Let's check out the rest of the house," she said, dragging the bodies out of the way. "There might be more in there."

She stood and banged her fist against the wall. When they heard nothing they went inside, with Lara leading the way while Sam covered her back. They found two more biters wandering near the back of the house but they were easily disposed of.

The rest of the house was clean. "We should stay here tonight," Lara said, sheathing her knife. "It's more defensible than the others."

"Yeah, the door's not broken for one." Sam said, looking around the room. The light coming in from the window gave just enough illumination to see properly.

On quick feet, Lara scouted the top floor while Sam checked the bottom for any other threats. She found a pair of scissors in a child's schoolbag along with a lunch box containing a rotted sandwich, a juice box and a muesli bar. She put the juice box and muesli bar in her bag.

"Clear," Lara said, jogging down.

"Same here," Sam reported. "There's an orange tree outside, but we picked a lot of them last time. I think there are a few ripe ones left."

Lara nodded. "I'll go see," she said. "See if you can find anything of use down here."

Sam took a closer look at the bottom floor. She found a box of matches, some batteries and a packet of cold and flu tablets in a corner which she put in her bag. The light had almost gone by the time she was finished and she could barely see.

Lara walked back through the front door of the house and headed to the lounge.

"Where did you go?" Sam asked. Hadn't Lara left through the back?

"I needed to go take care of Arion," she said. "But I found five oranges." She gestured to the table where they lay.

"There's also a trapdoor outside, under some weeds," she said, lighting a camping lantern and setting it on the table. "Do you know what's in there?"

"Umm no," Sam said, sitting down on the couch. "We didn't get the chance to explore last time."

"Okay, we'll check it out tomorrow morning." She pulled out what looked like a small metal cook pot and began setting it up.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"A Trangia," she said, pouring some methylated spirits in a little container. "It's a portable stove." She lit it with a match, producing a small contained flame.

"I could really use a large fire right now," Sam said, breathing into her hands. "I hate winter."

Lara glanced at her. She reached down for something by her feet then handed it to her.

"What's this?" Sam asked.

"You were cold last night weren't you?" she asked, opening two cans of pasta. "I found that upstairs. No one will miss it."

Sam pulled the jacket on. The cloth was a little greasy but it was padded, and the inside and hood were lined with mesh which made it extremely warm. She zipped it up and slowly felt warmth return to her bones.

"Thanks, Lara," she said, meeting her eyes. "That's…actually really thoughtful of you."

Lara smiled shyly and looked away. "You're welcome."

Sam leaned back and watched her place the cans on the pan.

Lara _had_ changed, a lot. But the shy, thoughtful and warm person she had called her best friend was still in there under that hard exterior. She just needed someone to bring her out again.

The cans were heated up in no time, and Sam felt her mouth water at the tomatoey scent. She hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast and the pasta looked _really_ good right now. Lara tore up some fresh basil and sprinkled it on the pasta.

"So fancy." Sam remarked, watching her.

Lara smirked. "There's an herb garden outside so we might as well take advantage of it." She handed her a can and sat on the other side of the couch. "Small pleasures, right?"

Sam accepted the can and dug in straight away. It was nice, not as nice as the stew she had last night but better than eighty percent of the meals she had eaten this year.

After a minute, Sam asked, "Do you remember when I made that lasagne for you?"

Lara glanced at her. "Yeah," she said, "You set off the fire alarm making it. Your father was livid."

"But it was nice," she said, moving to sit next to her. "We had a good two dinners out of that."

"It wasn't bad," Lara admitted, smiling.

"It was your favourite dish of mine," she grinned. "I would have made it for us all the time when we finally moved out together."

"Yes, because I would _voluntarily_ want to live with someone who annoys me."

"Hey, you loved me Croft, don't deny it."

Lara turned to her, grinning. "You're an acquired taste, Samantha. Acquired over many long months."

She nudged her sharply. "Eat your pasta."

Lara chuckled and dutifully did as she was told.

Sam devoured the rest of her pasta within a few minutes, as did Lara. When she was done Lara handed her an orange.

Sam dug her nail into the top of the orange and began peeling away the skin. "I miss these fresh fruit and vegies," she said. "I never thought I'd say that."

"We have a farm back at the resort," Lara told her, peeling her own orange. "There's already a compost bin there, and we're trying to grow some peas, tomatoes and potatoes."

"How's that going?"

"It could be better," she sighed. "The potatoes and tomatoes are growing, which is good, but the peas aren't. We need to try to expand the farm as well…We have too many people as it is and we only have just enough food."

"I'm guessing me and Will being there isn't going to help things." Sam said hesitantly.

Lara paused and looked at her. Her eyes lacked their usual defensiveness. "It doesn't matter," she said, "I'm glad you'll be joining us."

Sam was surprised by the admission. "I'm… glad you gave me the chance," she said.

Lara smiled and looked away again. They finished the rest of their oranges in a comfortable silence.

"We should get some sleep," Lara said after they were done, "It's been a long day."

Sam stood up and stretched. "I hear you." She put the orange peels in the empty can. Lara began to pack away the Trangia. "Do you need help?" Sam asked.

"I'm fine," Lara replied. "Just head upstairs, go get some rest."

"Okay then. Goodnight Lara."

Sam went upstairs and crashed on the bed in the master bedroom. The quilt felt a little greasy and the mattress smelt like dust, but so long as there weren't any bed bugs she would sleep happy.

The next time Sam opened her eyes was to the sight of Lara shaking her shoulder. "Sam, wake up," she said quietly. "It's morning."

Sam pulled the quilt around her and squeezed her eyes tight. "Five more minutes."

"No, now," she said, though Sam could hear a smile in her voice. "Or do you want me to get the water again?"

Sam opened her eyes and scrutinized Lara carefully. She had done it before. Seriously. When Sam was refusing to leave the bed on the day of an exam Lara actually emptied a bottle of water on her head. "You don't have enough water to waste," she said carefully.

Lara raised an eyebrow though the rest of her expression remained completely serious. "There is a puddle outside," she told her. "And a bucket downstairs. Do you want to push this?"

Sam groaned and rolled onto her back. Muddy water would be harder to wash off. She stretched her arms above her head and pushed herself up. "How did you sleep last night?" she asked her.

Lara rubbed the back of her neck and Sam could see bags under her eyes. "The couch was pretty uncomfortable," she said. "But I managed a few solid hours."

Lara slept on the couch last night? "Why'd you sleep on the couch?"

"In case someone tried to come in," she answered simply. "Come on, we'll eat something then I want to check out that cellar."

Sam yawned and followed her downstairs. They had a quick breakfast of oranges washed down with water, then they went outside and Lara showed her the trapdoor in the corner of the garden. It was overgrown with weeds and Lara had probably pulled some of them out last night.

"There's a lock on this," Lara said, tugging it. "We need to find something to open it."

Sam walked around the yard. She found a hammer hiding in the long grass. "How about this?" she asked, picking it up and handing it to Lara.

Lara took it and used the pronged end to break open the lock. It came off easily, but loudly, which made Sam glance around apprehensively.

Lara pulled open the doors and shone a torch down into the darkness. "Watch my back," she told her. Sam pulled out her knife and followed her down.

It was dark, and Lara moved slowly down the metal stairs. She had her gun pointed forward, with her torch crossed under her wrist. Sam could make out various shelves filled with items and two cots in what she thought was a bunker.

Lara lowered her pistol when she was in the middle of the room and shone the light around. She looked up and found an electric lantern which she turned on.

The room was illuminated with an artificial white light, which was a strange sight after so long without electricity. Sam felt her jaw drop when she saw the shelves. They were full of supplies- cans of food, bags of rice, batteries, tools, flares and so much more.

"Fuck me…" Lara murmured quietly.

"This is amazing," Sam said, walking over to one of the shelves. She picked up a can of spam. "An emergency bunker. Untouched."

"I know," Lara said, looking at a shelf full of food. "It's almost too good to believe."

"This food can last us a good month…" If there were only two or three people, the food could last three of four months. She was almost tempted to ask Lara to keep this quiet but how would that reflect on her?

"No," Lara said.

Sam turned around. "What?"

"We're not going to tell them." She put a can of fruit back down. "No one knows about this place, Sam," she said, walking over to her. "And it has enough supplies to keep us going for a long time."

Sam could only gape at Lara. _She_ was the one suggesting this?

Lara shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I know what you're thinking, but this is a good place. You can't trust people, and since our camp seems to be getting bigger and bigger it's bound to fall eventually. This would be a good place to go to when that happens." She sighed. "Just…keep this between us? Please?"

Sam nodded. Lara was entrusting her with something important and she wouldn't compromise it. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

Lara exhaled in relief. "Thank you. We should probably start heading back though."

Before they left, Lara picked up a few more cans of food and some medicine and outfitted Sam with a torch and the pistol Lara found at the orchard. Sam didn't want to leave so much stuff behind but they couldn't take too much else it would arouse suspicion.

Sam helped Lara hide the entrance by covering it with dirt and weeds and then they set off back to the resort on Arion.

They encountered nothing on their journey back, though they passed the lifeless body of Emily's father. Sam glanced back to look at it remorsefully as Lara didn't slow down their gallop.

A bitter taste formed in her mouth and she dug her fingers into Lara's side. She couldn't forget what Lara was capable of; both the good and the bad things. Emily was just a child, and she hoped that she made it to the resort.

They arrived back at the camp fairly quickly. Lara slowed down to a trot as they approached the gates.

"So what's going to happen now?" Sam asked Lara, speaking for the first time in a while. "You know, once we get back."

Lara shifted in front of her. "I need to take a group back to the camp to retrieve all those supplies there," she answered, "Hopefully no one else will have nicked them. And you and your boyfriend get to join our group."

Sam smirked at Lara. "Will's not my boyfriend," she said, "I just teamed up with him at Swindon."

"Oh." Lara said, blushing slightly. "My mistake then."

Sam laughed at Lara's blush causing her to redden even more. Well at least _that_ hasn't changed about her. "Yeah so he's single if you're interested."

Lara cleared her throat and shook her head. "I'm not," she said. "And this isn't a good time to enter into a relationship."

"Is it ever these days?"

"No, I suppose not. But still, being so attached to someone is a liability. It's too dangerous and it's worse when you have to lose them."

Sam sighed. "I know what you mean." She had lost so many people these past five years it was scary how easy she now found it to move on.

They staggered to a stop outside the gates as two people rushed to open the gates for them. "I'm sorry I never replied to your text," Lara suddenly said as they trotted in. Sam stared at her. "My phone broke and things were crazy after that. I'd always hated that I left you in doubt."

Sam smiled. "It's okay, Lara," she said, "I'm just glad you're not dead."

Lara smiled and got off the horse as it trotted to a stop. "I had fun with you on this trip," she said. She helped her down and for the first time since she came, she smiled warmly at her. "I'm glad you're back, Sam."

Sam so wanted to hug her but, in that moment, several people decided to run up to them.

"So?" Mathias asked curtly, folding his arms.

Lara took out the rifle and the shotgun from her bag. "This is all we could get," Lara said. "But there are more, many more. I have an idea of how to get them, though."

Mathias sneered. "Do we really trust her?" he asked. "I mean they were friends before this."

Lara looked like she was about to punch him but Roth stepped forward. "That's enough Mathias," he said. "Don't be a fool. This is a good thing and you know it. Why don't you get back to overseeing the defences?"

Mathias scoffed but walked off. "Very well, _Conrad_ ," he said.

Roth ignored him and clapped Lara on the shoulder. "Good job, Lara," he said. "This is great news. How about you go talk to Reyes about this plan while I get Sam settled in?"

Lara exhaled and nodded. "All right." She looked back at Sam and offered her a tired smile before heading off in the direction of the lake.

"Well," Roth said, turning to face her. "I guess you're one of us now. Would you like me to show you the basics?"

Sam smiled, feeling excitement bubble in her chest until she remembered something. "Umm... firstly," she began, slightly nervous, "Did a little girl called Emily come here?"

Roth frowned. "No one has come since you and William came three days ago," he said. "Why do you ask?"

Sam tried to stop the sick feeling in her stomach. "Oh…nevermind."


	7. Survival of the Fittest

Early update for this week.

Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing this early for me.

* * *

Lara sighed and pulled her hood over her head as it started sprinkling. She hoped that they would get back to the resort before it really started raining. There wasn't any tarp they could cover themselves with and she feared the military truck might become stuck in the mud.

The pickup jostled up sharply and Lara hissed as her shoulder rang out in pain.

Alex looked up from opposite her where he was tinkering with something in his hands. "Are you okay, Lara?" he asked.

"Yeah," she dismissed. She had injured her shoulder when some biter jumped her and she had fallen onto some exposed nails. It wasn't that painful now, but it was quite irritating.

Everything had gone pretty smoothly: after they had used a boombox to lure the biters out, Reyes had driven the car a good distance away then doubled back. Then, they had infiltrated the place together.

It was easier to search around after that. The biters in the house were easy enough to clear out when they worked together, and they found that all the good supplies were indeed located in there. They took what they could while Reyes discovered that the military truck could be fixed.

By the time it was sunset, they had finished stocking the truck and repairing the breach at the back. As soon as possible, they would return to try to better fortify the farm. It would be a good place to expand, and they would have a reliable supply of food if they managed to secure the place.

"Ow!" Alex hissed. He shook his hand and sucked on his finger.

Lara looked up and squinted at him. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, it's okay L.C, just a paper cut." He wiped his hand and returned to the object in his hands. "I'm trying to hook up some solar panels," he explained. "We could use them to generate more electricity. I found a whole bunch of solar powered lamps back at that orchard so right now I'm removing the panels. It's a little hard to do in the rain."

"That's creative, Alex," she said, "We could use more electricity. I hope it works."

"Hey, I'm the best, L.C," he said with a grin. "I'll get this up and running in no time."

She was startled by a sharp knock on the window next to her. Vladimir smiled creepily and made kissy faces between her and Alex, laughing.

"Knock it off," she heard Reyes growl from the driver's seat.

Vladimir said something in Russian- probably a curse- but stopped annoying them.

Lara sighed and rubbed her temples. It had been a long day. She had no patience to put up with his bullshit.

"I'd like to punch that asshole in the face," Alex mumbled quietly.

"You and me both, Alex," she said. "Though I think that would only encourage the bastard."

"I could punch him for you," he offered. "I mean, he wouldn't see it coming."

Lara smiled grimly. "Thank you, but I'd rather you not get hurt."

Alex smiled bashfully. "The offer's always there, L.C."

It seemed like another half an hour before they finally got back to the resort. Roth came up to them and applauded them on their effort. Lara helped them move all the supplies into the shed which was slow going with her injured shoulder.

Roth stopped her with a hand on her good shoulder. "Lara," he said. "Go see Mathias about your shoulder. We'll finish up here."

Lara was so tired that she didn't bother protesting. Roth took the box she was holding and she went off in the direction of the infirmary.

Mathias was doing inventory of the new supplies they had received when Lara walked in. He glanced at her, then returned to scribbling something on his notes.

"Lara," he said, not looking up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I injured my shoulder," she said, taking off her jacket. "I landed on some nails during the run. Alex treated it for me but Roth said that I should still see you."

Mathias finished whatever he was writing and put down his clipboard. "I see," he said, walking over. "Would you please take your shirt off?"

Lara did as she was told, wincing as her shoulder was stretched into an uncomfortable position. Mathias peeled off the bandage and examined the wound. Lara closed her eyes and tried not to squirm as Mathias touched her skin.

"There's no signs of infection currently," he eventually said. "But it needs to be redressed. Can you move your arm properly?"

"Yes," she said, "It hurts a little though."

"I would recommend that you do not put any stress on your left arm for the next week," he said. She heard him searching the cupboards behind her. "No heavy lifting or any strenuous activity."

Lara sighed. She doubted that she would be able to do that. "I'll try," she said.

"If you can't do that I could give you a sling."

"That won't be necessary." She tensed as Mathias started cleaning the wound.

After a moment he said, "Your friends are settling in well. This group is getting big."

Lara narrowed her eyes. Mathias hadn't been happy about letting them in before and she knew he still wasn't even though Sam and Will had handed them a goldmine in supplies. "They're part of the settlement now, Mathias," she said, "They'll go through probation, just like every new person does. So enough with the complaining."

"I apologise Lara," he said, though he didn't sound very sorry. "It's just that it's dangerous to keep accepting all these strangers. It only takes one mistake to bring this whole camp down."

Lara wondered if he was referring to himself when he said that. She didn't trust Mathias, and she disliked how many people seemed to be loyal to him even more.

As much as she disliked him though, she had to agree with him. "I understand," she said. "I don't think we should be taking so many people in either."

Mathias stopped what he was doing. "Really?" he asked, surprised. "I didn't think Roth's protege would say that."

"I respect Roth, but that doesn't mean I can't think for myself," Lara growled. "More people means more mouths to feed, and more supplies used up. We should be looking after our own people, not breeding infighting."

Mathias smiled and wiped the wound with disinfectant, causing her to hiss. "That's the thinking of a true survivor, Lara," he said. "Tell me, do you know about Darwin and Wallace's theory of evolution?"

"…Yes…" Lara said carefully.

"You see Lara, I am a firm believer in their theory of 'survival of the fittest'," he said. "Darwin and Wallace suggested that it was the strongest members of a species that survived to reproduce. They adapted to the changes in their environment, whether it be temperature, predators, or even a disease."

Lara wondered where Mathias was going with this, but it was making her uncomfortable. Was he comparing her to him? "What's your point?" she growled, getting impatient.

Mathias started applying a fresh bandage. "In order for them to adapt, it had to start with those few who were different in their society," he continued, "There is always variation in a species: those that are genetically predetermined to have an advantage. Those are the ones that will endure, that will survive through all of this. In our population, there must be someone who is immune to this virus."

Lara sighed inwardly. This again?

She remembered about three months ago, how Roth had uncovered some macabre experiments that Mathias had done on some corpses in his house. He had said he was trying to see how the virus worked, so he could eventually find a cure. Roth had forced him to shut down whatever he was doing immediately else he would be exiled from the resort.

Mathias had complied…or so everyone thought.

"I thought Roth told you to drop this," she said, turning around as Mathias pressed down the bandage.

"But think about it Lara," he said, "Anyone could be immune, even you. That person would hold the key to saving the human race. Wouldn't that be worth fighting for?"

"You don't even know if this person exists, or that a vaccine can be obtained."

"How do we know if we don't try? We haven't even studied this virus."

"Because we have more important things to worry about," she snapped. "Like food, water, and not getting overrun by the biters. Surviving is hard enough without taking on impossible burdens. Leave this insane idea _alone_ , Mathias, or Roth _will_ kick you out this time, surgeon or not."

There was a knock on the door. "Hey Lara? Are you in there?"

Lara glanced around and saw Sam walk into the room. "Oh," Sam said, stopping when she saw Lara, "Should I come back later?"

Lara looked down to where Sam was looking and realised that she wasn't wearing a shirt. She blushed and turned around to retrieve it.

"No," Mathias said, packing away the supplies, "We were just finishing up." Lara slipped her shirt, jumper and jacket back on.

"How are you settling in?" Mathias asked Sam.

"Umm, fine," Sam answered, "Thank you for giving us a chance."

"Don't cause any trouble," Mathias warned, his voice low, "The last time we had someone betray us, we fed him to the biters. You could hear his screams through the night."

Sam shifted uncomfortably and looked at Lara to see if he was serious. He wasn't, Lara thought, they had just put a bullet in his head and then buried the body. "Okay…"

"How is Will doing by the way?" he continued.

Lara sighed, exasperated. She had no idea what game Mathias was playing but she had no energy to try to figure it out. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" she said curtly, walking towards the door. She paused before she left, turning around. "Thank you Mathias, for treating my shoulder." Without another word she walked past Sam.

Lara strode through the waiting room and into the night. It was raining lightly now, and she pulled her hood over her head as she made her way to the dining area. The scent of meat stew drifted through the air, making her stomach rumble. She couldn't wait to sit down with a warm bowl and finally relax.

"Lara!" Lara glanced behind her and saw Sam jogging to catch up with her. "Hey, wait up."

Lara turned back and continued walking. Truth be told, she didn't feel like interacting with anyone tonight.

Sam finally caught up to her. "Hey, how was your trip?" she asked.

"Fine." Lara answered.

"Did you guys get everything?"

"Yes."

Sam was quiet for a moment when Lara gave her nothing to go on. "Uhh look…" she eventually said, "I just wanted to thank you for giving me a chance. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for you. Everyone else was ready to throw us back out but you didn't let that happen. So thanks."

Lara sighed. "It's okay Sam," she said, trying not to sound too dismissive as they walked into the building, "We needed the guns and supplies they had there. So don't worry about it."

"Still…thanks."

Lara nodded and headed towards the serving area. Sam followed behind her for what reason Lara knew not. "So…what are you doing tonight?" she asked.

"Eating," she said, grabbing a bowl from the end of the line. "And sleeping."

Alex, Vladimir and Reyes had finished packing away what they brought back and were lining up for their dinner. Lara lined up behind them and waited for her turn. Marcus was on cooking duty tonight, and he and Vladimir shared a laugh as he filled his bowl.

Lara waited until they were done chatting then held out her bowl for Marcus to fill.

"Sorry Lara, we're out for tonight," he told her, the hint of a smug smile at the corner of his lips.

Lara frowned. "Are you serious?"

"Well Vlad took the last bit. I'm sorry." He did not sound one bit apologetic.

Lara gripped the bowl. "We just brought back a whole buck and several hares two days ago."

"Yes, well this batch is finished for tonight and it will be too much trouble to prepare another."

Lara sighed and closed her eyes. Out of all the days where Jonah wasn't the chef…

"You can have mine if you want," Sam suddenly said. Lara turned to her and furrowed her brow. "Well I only ate half of it so you can have the rest."

Sam seemed completely sincere and her kindness abated her anger a little. "That's kind of you Sam but you must be hungry as well." She turned back to Marcus. "Just heat up a can of beans then and I'll have that."

"I'm sorry," he said faux-seriously again, "but you know we need to ration our food."

Lara glared at him until his smug smile faltered. She leaned forward on the table until he took a step back. "I am not in a good mood tonight, Marcus," she growled quietly. "So do not test me."

Marcus' eyes darted between her and something behind her. No doubt were people watching. He swallowed and nodded just a fraction. "I'll be back as soon as I can then," he spat. She watched him dart back into the kitchen then leaned back. For all she knew he would have spit in her beans before serving them to her.

"Is…is it always like this?" Sam asked hesitantly after he was gone.

Lara gritted her teeth. "No," she answered, "Only when Jonah's not the chef."

"You didn't have to do that. I meant what I said. You can have the rest of my food if you want."

Lara couldn't understand what she was doing. "Why?" she asked, turning to her.

Sam shrugged. "I'm not that hungry."

"No, why are you being so nice?" she clarified.

Sam looked at her softly. "Because we were friends once, Lara," she said. "And I was hoping we could be again."

 _Friends._ Lara didn't have many friends here; she had mostly kept to herself. Now Sam was trying to breach the walls she had put up around herself, just like she did when they first met.

"Besides," she added, "I'm not giving you a full meal either so you're not that special."

Lara managed a small smile. "Thank you Sam, really, but you shouldn't give your food away."

"Well I don't give my food away to just anyone but okay." She considered something for a moment. "Why don't you come meet Will? He's just over there and he owes you thanks as well."

Lara looked over to where she was pointing and saw a blond man talking with a few of Mathias' men. He glanced over to them but quickly returned to his stew when he noticed that she was looking at him.

"No thanks," she said to Sam, folding her arms. "I wouldn't be very good company."

"It'll be five minutes," she insisted, giving her a pout. "Come on."

Lara groaned internally. If Sam wanted to be friends with her why did she need to interact with anyone else?

But the longer she looked at her, the longer she realised she couldn't resist that pout.

Lara sighed. "Five minutes," she said, giving in. Sam beamed.

Marcus returned with an open can of beans and put it down on the table. Lara picked it up but recoiled when it burnt her fingers. She glared up at Marcus who smirked but then quickly rushed out of the room with the empty pot.

She picked it up by the edge and followed Sam back to the table. A few people at the table gave her looks as she approached them and Lara instantly felt uncomfortable. _Five minutes,_ she told herself, _just five minutes._

"Are you sure you don't want some of mine?" Sam asked as she sat down next to Will. "It's hard to come across good meat these days."

Will nudged her. "How come you've never offered me any of your food? I have muscles to grow." To prove his point he tensed his biceps with a wink.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Maybe if your ego wasn't as big as your muscles I would share."

Lara sighed internally. Five seconds with Will and she already disliked him.

She sat down opposite them. "I'm fine thank you." She blew the steam away from her beans and began to eat.

"So anyways," Sam continued, "Lara this is Will, Will this is Lara; the girl who saved our asses."

Will sneezed and rubbed his nose. "Sorry. Nice to meet you," he said.

Lara eyed him carefully. Will looked friendly enough but she had met many 'friendly' people before. She nodded curtly back.

"Thanks for taking us in," he said, "And for making sure we didn't get shot."

Lara nodded. "How are you settling in?" she asked.

"Umm pretty well. I'm feeling a lot better thanks to the medicine Roth gave me. Some people are still a little skeptical but they're warming up. Especially these guys." He gestured to the other people at the table, the majority of which happened to be loyal to Mathias.

Lara didn't like that at all. She would need to keep an eye on Will in the future. "I see," she said, and ate another spoonful of beans.

Will cleared his throat when she didn't say anything further. "So, Sam tells me that you two went to the same school before all this."

Lara tensed. She didn't want to talk about her personal life, especially with a stranger. "Yes," was all she said. She continued eating.

"Yeah, we went to an all-girls boarding school in London," Sam said, filling up the silence. "We shared a room."

"Really?" Will asked. "I went to a boarding school as well. It was in Bristol though. I remember how my friends and I would use to sneak out to the girls side at night for a bit of mischief." He nudged Sam with an elbow and Lara felt her patience running very thin.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I was probably one of those girls. Lara wasn't though. Though she could be crazy fun if you could get her out of the library."

Lara sighed. She appreciated that Sam was trying to include her in the conversation but she didn't want to sit here pretending to be interested anymore.

"Excuse me," she said, pushing her chair back. She ignored the pleading look Sam gave her and took her can of beans back to her cabin. All she wanted now was a bit of peace, and a good night's rest.

Her cabin was by the edge of the lake. It had been one of the few that didn't have many biters in it and was thus easy to clear out. The rest of the camp had expanded from there, as more people came along.

Lara entered her cabin and closed the door behind her. She struck a match and lit the gaslamp on her table, too tired to start a proper fire. The soft glow illuminated the cabin and she sat down, taking in the quiet around her. She ate the rest of her beans dutifully but, in all honesty, she was disappointed it wasn't some of that deer she brought back.

When she was done, she went upstairs and lay back carefully on her bed to avoid jarring her shoulder. Outside, she could hear the rain as it splashed against the walls, and it lulled her to sleep.

She saw her parents in her dreams again. Her mother had a protective arm around her, holding her close. Her father was driving like a madman, a pistol in one hand and the wheel in the other.

 _It'll be okay Lara,_ her mother whispered.

Lara clung tighter to her. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her palms were sweaty. _Don't leave me,_ she wanted to say, knowing what lay in the future.

Suddenly the car stopped.

Before Lara could react, her mother dragged her out of the car. She fell onto the ground, scraping her palms.

 _Run!_ Her father yelled. She looked up and saw that her parents were already far ahead of her.

Lara scrambled to her feet and ran after them. The pain in her hands made her want to cry. Behind her, she could hear the growls and moans in her ears, closing in.

 _Wait!_ She yelled. But they were too far gone.

Something wrapped around her ankle and she fell forward onto her hands. She turned around just in time as a biter sank its teeth into her neck.

Lara sat up, eyes wide. She felt her neck quickly but found nothing. She could feel the sweat making her shirt cling to her back and the droplets running down her jaw.

She leaned back, taking a deep breath and trying to slow her racing heart.

God damn these dreams.

It was always the same monster, no matter what form it took. Her parents, dead or dying, and her, always left behind. She had them about the same time every year; it was like her body had to remind her _exactly_ when her life turned to shit.

Lara ran a hand over her face and closed her eyes again. She felt empty; her eyes were tired and there was an uncomfortable twang in her heart.

She curled up on her side, trying to get back to sleep and hoping it would go away.

But about a minute later she found herself tossing and turning, and she realised that this wasn't going to work.

Lara sat up and rested her head on her knees, staring at the far wall blankly. She hated this: being a slave to her emotions, and being unable to do anything about it. She had shaken off so many things in her life- why couldn't she get past this?

Lara sighed and got out of bed. She needed to talk to Roth. Even though he never really knew what to say, talking with him always made her feel better. He was really the only family she had left, and talking to him reminded her that she wasn't alone.

Lara threw on her jacket before heading out. She could still see people around the mess, talking and playing board games. It wasn't curfew yet, but she was sure it was soon.

Roth's cabin was next to hers. They had originally slept in the same one but after they had decided to stay here permanently, he had moved over to the other one to give her more space.

Lara could feel her heart pulsing in her neck as she knocked on the door. She shouldn't have been nervous, talking to Roth about this, but she still did every year. She wasn't sure if it was the shame of admitting her weakness aloud or bothering Roth with something that she should have gotten over a long time ago.

Perhaps it was both.

There was no answer. Lara peered inside but it was dark. It didn't seem like Roth was home and she didn't feel like going back to the mess to look for him.

Lara sighed and sat down on the stairs. She didn't think she could go back to sleep until she talked to Roth, so she just sat there, waiting.

Roth had kept them moving after her parents had died; it was probably the only reason she survived. She wondered if he thought about them as often as she did. Roth never revealed any weakness in front of her so she didn't know how he was feeling. But he was close to her father, and she knew there were moments he wished he was here to deal with some parenting issue he wasn't sure about.

"Do you really want me to kick your ass again?" she heard a woman ask.

"I've learnt a few new moves since then so I wouldn't count on it." That was Roth.

Lara stood up and saw Roth and Reyes appear around the corner, holding hands and grinning like they were sharing a secret joke.

Lara should have left at that moment, before they saw her and she had to make up some awkward excuse. But she was paralysed, watching the happy couple smiling cheekily at each other while feeling her heart sink.

"Well I think-" She stopped when she saw Lara, her expression hardening. "Lara."

Roth had only noticed her when Reyes said her name. He turned to her, his expression gentler than Reyes'. "Lara, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Lara was tempted to tell him for a moment- she knew Roth would drop any plans he had with Reyes and comfort her. But between the look Reyes was giving her and her reluctance to interrupt their moment of happiness, Lara stepped down from the stairs.

"I was just umm…heading back to my cabin," she lied, "Good night." She nodded to them then left.

When she was a far enough distance away, she turned back to see Reyes drag Roth into his cabin. She ignored the ache in her chest and walked back to her own.

Inside it was dark, and she could feel how cold and empty the place was. It was no different from any other night, yet tonight she wanted to be anywhere but here.

Lara sighed and sat down on the steps, looking out over the lake.

It was quiet here, and the water was placid and reflecting what little moon there was. She hugged her knees and stared blankly at the scene.

"Hey," came a voice. Lara jumped and reached for her gun when she saw that it was just Sam. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said.

Lara rubbed her eyes and leaned back against the beam. She shouldn't have allowed someone to sneak up on her like that. "It's fine," she said. "You should be back in your cabin. Curfew is about to start."

Sam shrugged and sat down next to her. "You owe me three minutes."

Lara frowned at her. "I'm sorry?"

"You bailed on dinner," she explained. "You owe me three more minutes."

Lara sighed. Out of all the things she bothers her with, it's this? "I'm not going to spend any more time with Will," she said.

Sam didn't seem surprised. "Yeah… he feels the same way. He said that you were scary, what with all the glares you were giving him."

"And yet you're not afraid?"

Sam smiled. "I don't think you're as bad as everyone says you are," she said.

Lara found Sam's certainty amusing. "And how are you so sure?" she asked, looking at her.

"Because," she poked her shoulder, "I know the person who has a secret fondness for Jaffa cakes, and is still a giant nerd on the inside."

Lara smiled wryly. "Who doesn't love Jaffa cakes?" she asked, "Better than your Hobnobs."

"Don't dis the Hobnobs," she threatened lightly. "Don't forget who risked their neck to get your beloved Jaffa's. I was in detention for a week and Mrs Fey confiscated my phone."

"Hey I never asked you to sneak out of school. You did that on your own accord."

"Yet you still ate the Jaffas. You're _so_ grateful, Lara."

Lara sniffed and looked away. "I let you copy my homework for the next month," she said coyly, "I wasn't entirely ungrateful."

"Oh yeah, I remember," Sam laughed. "I tried bribing you with more Jaffa Cakes after that but you wouldn't go for it." She sighed. "That was a wasted opportunity, you know. With my rebelliousness and your smarts we could have gotten away with anything back then."

"Yeah…it's more likely you would have been expelled if it continued."

"You say that but they never caught me again."

Lara rolled her eyes at her friend's bravado but she was smiling. It was pleasant to think about all the shenanigans they got up to in school…well that Sam got up to and Lara accompanied.

She missed this. The trip to the orchard with Sam had been fun in a way that the one she went on today wasn't. Sam made her stop to smell the roses; she did it when they were back at school and she did it now.

Lara smiled as she looked at Sam. "Thank you," she said.

Sam quirked an eyebrow. "For what?"

Lara shook her head, not wanting to dampen her mood again. "I needed the distraction," was all she said. She stood up and nodded back towards the main cabins. They must have been talking for longer than she realised. "You should head back. Dmitri and Nikolai are on guard duty tonight and they enjoy exploiting that power. Come on, I'll walk you."

Sam stood up and followed her. "That's very chivalrous of you," she remarked.

"I'm just returning a favour," she said.

"Are you sure it's not because you want to spend more time with me?"

Lara was surprised to find that she didn't dismiss it straight away. She did enjoy Sam's company- she was one of the few people this world hadn't tainted yet. "Don't go spreading it around," she said.

Sam must have been surprised at her answer as she was silent for a moment. She then heard her curse as she stumbled over something. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she hurriedly said.

Lara chuckled. The path lights were on but it was still hard to see. "Watch your step," she said helpfully.

"Stop!" came a Russian accent.

Lara sighed and turned around to face the pair of men coming towards her.

And things were just getting better, she thought sarcastically. "Let me handle this," she told Sam.

A torch was deliberately shone in her eyes, making spots dance across her vision. Nikolai stopped in front of her and smirked. He had his older brother's smugness, which made her want to punch him in the face every time he smiled. "You know you should not be out here," he said. "It's past your bedtime."

Lara folded her arms. "Sam was lost," she explained, ignoring the insult, "I was just taking her back to her cabin. Then I will be returning to mine, just in time for my bedtime story." She said the last part sarcastically.

Nikolai snorted and turned to his brother. "We should report this. Have her clean the toilets for the next week."

Lara eyed him carefully. Although the brothers were one of the few not intimidated by her, they knew not to provoke her. "I'm sure Roth would not care that I was a few minutes late. He would understand that I was helping a friend. So you should not waste your time here."

Nikolai looked like he was going to say another smart-ass remark but Dmitri cut him off. "Nikolai," he growled, "Forget this. Let's go." They strode away.

Lara continued towards the main area while Dmitri and Nikolai went the other way. Sam followed her silently. "What's your beef with them?" she eventually asked.

"They don't like me and I don't like them," she sighed, "Their older brother, Vladimir, is the worst."

"Why?"

"He wants me to sleep with him. He's relentless, and disgusting. One time I kicked him in his soft parts and he later laughed and said that's what his sister used to do."

Sam audibly shivered. "That's…pretty messed up. It's a good thing you can take care of yourself."

Lara snorted. "Yeah, I feel the same way."

They arrived at Sam's designated cabin. "Thanks," Sam said, walking up the steps. "I don't think I would have liked what Nikolai and Dmitri would have done if I was alone."

"You should stay away from them if you can," she warned, "Vladimir and his friends are a lot more reckless and full of themselves. I don't know why Roth let them in in the first place but you need to be careful."

"I was sitting with them before," Sam said, "They seemed okay. A little sexist maybe but not really threatening. Yet, anyways."

Lara pressed her lips together. "I'm just warning you, Sam. There's a divide in this camp that you'll soon see. I hope you're not going to be on the wrong side of it."

Sam sighed and nodded. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." The conversation turned into silence.

Lara grew uncomfortable- she hadn't socialised with anyone for a long time so she wasn't sure what to say next. "I umm…" she gestured back towards her cabin somewhat awkwardly, "I should get back."

"Hey, wait," Lara turned around and raised an eyebrow. "We should hang out tomorrow," Sam said, "Maybe you could give me a tour of the camp?"

Lara was surprised at how appealing that idea sounded. "Yeah…that'd be nice."

She could tell Sam was beaming even though it was dark. "Cool. See you tomorrow then."

Lara nodded. "Night."

She went back to her cabin but didn't encounter Dmitri or Nikolai again, much to her relief. The cabin was still dark, and she could hear her footsteps as she walked in, but it didn't feel so cold anymore.

Lara went straight to her bed and lay down. She wrapped herself in her sheets and her thoughts flickered briefly to Sam and what they were going to do tomorrow before fatigue overtook her mind and she fell asleep.


	8. Lessons

Thanks for all the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing this for me.

* * *

"Did you cut your hair?" Will asked as Sam sat down next to him.

Sam ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah," she said, "It was getting too long and I found a pair of scissors here. I figured I might as well cut it." She had always tried to keep her hair short, after a biter had once grabbed it and she had almost died because of it.

Will ran his hand through her hair. "I prefer you with long hair," he said, smiling. "But I suppose that means it's just easier to grab onto."

Sam swatted his hand away and frowned. "Not if you keep talking like that." Seriously, he needed to tone down on the sexist comments if he wanted to stay friends. She began eating her breakfast.

"Ha," Nikolai said, "Does she always bite like that?"

Will snorted. "No. Most of the time she's pretty compliant."

"Seriously, if you don't stop I'm going to leave," she threatened. For some reason, when Will was around these guys, he was much more of an asshole than he usually was.

"Relax Sam, I was just joking." He rolled his eyes, like _she_ was the one in the wrong. He sneezed to the side before asking, "Anyways are you ready for another day of construction?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't mind it," she said. "We're safe here, and I don't mind doing a bit of grunt work to earn my place."

"You will get other jobs once you prove yourself," Dimitri said, poking at his food. "But first you do the easy jobs that you can't fuck up."

Will sighed. "Fair enough. At least we aren't used as bait here. The Swindon militia would send us out to clear the biters lingering around the QZ. They didn't give us guns or shit."

Sam remembered that. She had been chosen once by the 'lottery' system they had. She was lucky to have survived, though a lot of the people that went with her didn't. It had been the militia's way of keeping numbers down so food would last longer. It was also one of the reasons why the people had turned.

"The militia are stupid," Charlie, a guy sitting next to Dimitri, said. "They think they have things under control but they don't. We should just raid them and get their supplies. They'll last longer with us than them anyways."

Sam shifted uncomfortably. There were still innocent people at the quarantine zones who relied on the militia to protect them. They needed the supplies just as much - or considering how bad Swindon was, even more than they did.

She looked up and saw that Lara sitting with Roth, Reyes and Alisha at a table in the distance. Lara glanced over at her and smiled faintly when she saw her looking.

"Hey, I'll be right back," she said to Will. She didn't feel like talking about all this taking over the world thing anymore.

She got up and walked over to Lara's table. "Good morning," she said to the others. She stood next to Lara.

"Sam," Roth greeted. Reyes grunted in what might have been a 'hello' and Alisha smiled politely.

"How are you all this morning?"

"Fine," Reyes said. She sounded like she wanted this conversation to go away.

"Uhh…that's good to hear."

"Did you cut your hair?" Lara asked.

Sam looked down at her, "Yeah, it was getting a bit long," she answered.

Lara nodded approvingly. "It looks nice."

Sam smiled. "Thanks," she said, running a hand through it self-consciously. "So…Are you still going to give me a tour?"

"I don't think there's much you haven't seen already," Lara said. "I'm sure Roth showed you the important places. But if you want to hang out later, we can still do that."

Yeah, Sam had already seen most of the important areas by now. She had explored a bit with Will yesterday and found that about half the resort was unused as it was too hard to upkeep.

"Sure. Are you busy after I finish my work?"

"No, just meet me back here."

"Okay. See you then." She smiled at Lara before heading back to her table.

When they finished breakfast she headed off to the eastern perimeter with Will and Dimitri to start their work. They were going to reinforce the fence, something that needed to be done constantly due to the biters that would wander to their walls, and the corrosion caused by the rain.

Dimitri went to fetch the tools while she and Will waited for him at the site. The wire and wooden framed fence had already been reinforced with wooden supports but some of those needed replacing. The bottom of the fence was also reinforced with metal, which prevented the biters from pulling on it. There was a layer of wood behind that as extra protection.

The rain last night had made the ground soft, which meant they couldn't fix the planks along the edge, but they could still replace the rotted wood on the inside.

Will uncovered the pile of materials and started breaking some of them down into more useable parts. Sam helped him, and when Dimitri returned they started on the fence.

She knew that there was a trench just on the other side of the fence. Biters would fall into them, and sit there until someone came each morning and night to clean them out. It was a good defence, but if too many piled up their noise might have attracted more biters.

"I would love a drink," Will said, while he was fixing a plank against the fence. "It's been such a long time."

Sam smirked. She finished her bit and moved onto the next part. "I know, right," she said. "I would have loved to try a mojito. My friends said they were great."

"You haven't drunk before?" Will asked.

"Well I have. But it was mainly vodka and juice or tequila from house parties. I was too young to go to a club or bar."

Will snorted. "Oh yeah, you were only seventeen," he remembered. "Well, cocktails were all right. I would kill for a beer. Or a whiskey." He turned to Dimitri who had been silently working on his own part this whole time. "What did you drink Dimitri? Vodka?"

Dimitri looked up and shrugged. "Nothing wrong with vodka," he said. "Didn't have with juice though. It need to be strong."

"Hey that was just for pre drinks," Sam defended. "I could take a shot if you want."

Dimitri snorted. "Probably not many though."

Well, that was true even though she wouldn't admit it. "How many can you take?" she asked.

"Ten."

"Bullshit."

Dimitri shrugged.

"I could take seven," Will said, "Any more and when it hit me, I would pass out instantly. But nothing beats a whiskey on the rocks."

Sam laughed. "What are you an old man?" she asked. "Having your whiskey on the rocks with a bathrobe and a leather arm chair?"

Will pushed her playfully as he got up to get more wood. "I could still drink you under the table, _young lady_ ," he joked. "I would show you how we Brits did it in the _good old days_ if only we had some beer."

Sam rolled her eyes and moved on to the next bit. Will wasn't so bad when they were alone. It was only when he was around other people that he tried too hard and became a bit of a dick.

Dimitri wasn't so bad either. He was quiet, but not as rude as his brothers or his friends. But then she remembered Lara's warning last night, that Vladimir and his friends were dangerous and she should stay away from them.

She wondered what she was getting herself into being friends with them. But then again, Lara wasn't exactly popular here. Maybe this was just her prejudice that had nothing to do with her.

"If you two want drink," Dimitri began, "Nikolai does have vodka."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? That'd be great. Where did you guys find it?"

"In Bath," he said. "Don't tell Lara though, Samantha. It technically not allowed."

"My lips are sealed," she said. She could see Lara being anal about a small thing like alcohol.

"Tonight then," he said, with what might have been a smile.

It took another hour for them to finish their work, and Sam was sore from crouching and standing up repeatedly. It wasn't rough work though, and it was a small price to pay for safety and food.

"Hey Sam," Will called, as they were packing up the materials. She paused briefly to look at him. "Do you want to...'hang out' with me tonight?" he asked with a sly smile.

Sam turned away and smirked. She wondered how long it would take before Will propositioned her. She was eager- after the past two weeks she could do with some stress relief. But she wasn't going to give her cards away just yet.

She shrugged and pretended to look disinterested. "I'll see." She locked eyes with Will, teasingly, before Dimitri smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Sam stifled a laugh.

"Back to work," he said.

Will grumbled something but continued stacking the wood into a neat pile. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I think I'm going to go hang out with Lara for a bit," Sam answered.

He snorted. "Be careful that she doesn't bite your head off."

Sam smirked. "Don't worry. She likes me."

Will looked skeptical. "Okay well, I'll be in the lounge if you need me."

* * *

Lara was walking back from her guard duty when she heard the arguing.

"I told you to put the wrench back where you found it! How hard is that?" That was Reyes.

There was the rattle of something metal being thrown onto the floor. "You know what? How about you shove this wrench up your ass?" Was that Charlie? Her co-mechanic?

Lara followed the sound to where Reyes and Charlie were arguing at the makeshift garage under the covered parking lot.

"Excuse me?" Reyes exclaimed. "How about I use all the tools you've left on the floor to beat your disrespectful ass?"

She opened the door and saw Charlie and Reyes in a heated argument. They were both face to face, and it looked like a fight was about to break out.

"Shut up bitch!" Charlie yelled. "I'm tired of taking orders from you! I'm a _real_ mechanic, not like you. You're only in charge here because you're shagging Roth."

She knew what was coming before it happened. Reyes punched Charlie square in the jaw.

Lara rushed over and caught her arm before she could throw another punch. "Hey!" she yelled, throwing her back. "What's going on here?!"

Charlie struggled to regain his balance while Reyes glared at Lara angrily. "This isn't any of your business, Lara," she growled.

"We don't need any fighting," she said, standing between them. "Just go away and take a minute to cool down."

"No. How about we settle this the hard way? Charlie said, clenching his fist. His cheek was pink from where Reyes had hit him.

Lara gritted her teeth. "Shut it, Charles," she snapped. "Both of you walk away and take a breath. Don't talk to each other again until you've both calmed down."

There was silence as the two mechanics glared at each other menacingly.

"NOW!" she snapped.

Charlie threw his hands in the air and stormed out of the building. Reyes growled and as soon as he was gone pointed a finger at her.

"I don't need your help, Lara," she snapped. "I can handle myself."

Lara turned around to her. "I know you can. But we don't need more fighting."

Reyes scowled. "Next time, let me handle it, Croft." She walked past her, shouldering her harshly on the way.

Lara sighed when she was gone and gently massaged her shoulder. That shove had strained her injury and it was hurting again. She should head back to her cabin, and maybe lie down for an hour or two. She didn't have anything for the rest of the day, but she needed to collect more firewood and water for herself at some point.

She took a deep breath and started back towards her cabin.

"Lara." Lara turned around and saw Sam walking up to her. "I umm, heard someone fighting. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is… fine," she dismissed. It wasn't, but how was Sam supposed to help?

Sam frowned. "Are _you_ alright?"

"I'm fine." Lara said.

"Really?"

She sighed. There was no harm in telling her she supposed. "Charlie and Reyes were having a fight. I don't think they'll be working together again."

Sam winced. "How bad was it?"

"Reyes punched Charlie."

"Ohh, well…I think it's for the best then. Charlie was a bit of a dick anyways."

Lara smiled grimly. "I know. But there's another crack in this place. It's not…promising."

Sam touched her arm comfortingly. "At least you stopped things from getting worst."

Lara glanced down to where Sam's hand was then back up. She gave her a tired smile. "Perhaps." She turned around and continued back to her cabin.

Sam followed her, trailing by her side. "Maybe spending some time with your bestie will take your mind off things."

Lara stopped and folded her arms. "I have nothing to do right now," she said, "Though I'm not sure if I will be much company."

"Actually, I was wondering if I could have those knife lessons you offered before."

Lara cocked her head. "I never offered lessons."

"Well not technically…but maybe you could make an exception for me this one time?" She smiled sweetly.

Lara was amused. She remembered that Sam did this to teachers at school; bat her eyelashes and tried to look as innocent as she could when she got into trouble. It worked most of the time… and on a few boys when she wanted it to.

"So…your idea for me to relax is to take me from one stressful situation into another?" Lara asked jokingly.

The smile fell from Sam's face. "Look, if you don't want to do this we don't need to. I don't mind."

Lara shifted awkwardly. That hadn't gone as planned. "Sorry," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "That was a bad joke. I actually wouldn't mind spending some time together."

Sam's smiled returned. "Okay, great! Why don't we head to that area in front of your cabin? I don't need people laughing at how bad I am."

They headed there in silence until they reached the area Sam spoke of. As she had guessed, there was no one around. Lara turned to face Sam and folded her arms.

"Tell me," Lara said, "Why don't you want to use a knife?"

Sam shrugged, playing with the hilt of her knife. "It's too close to them. I don't want to get bitten."

Lara nodded. "You shouldn't hesitate. When you're afraid, you slow down. Strike them hard and fast, and have confidence in yourself."

She had Sam draw her knife and show her a few test stabs and slashes. They would do fine, but Lara made a few adjustments to Sam's technique.

"Keep your arm bent a little more," Lara said. "It's too vulnerable outstretched."

She had Sam perform the knee kick on her that she had told her before at the orchard. It was a simple enough manoeuvre, but she figured Sam could use more confidence in her skills.

There was a sharp pain against the back of her leg and she fell onto her knee. Her head was yanked back as Sam stabbed an imaginary knife into her head.

"Good," Lara said, as Sam let go of her. She rubbed the back of her leg where Sam had kicked her. "That's something that would work against people as well, though they will fight back more than the average biter."

She taught Sam other basic techniques that would be useful: where to hit to stun someone, how to get out of a hold someone had on you. Sam picked things up fairly quickly, though the true extent would not been seen until she got into a fight.

"Turn your head so they can't scratch at you," Lara said, holding Sam in a headlock to demonstrate. "If you want to get out, you can pull my arm down, step on my toes or push me back against the wall if you're strong enough."

Someone spoke behind them. "What are y'ere doing there lass?"

She turned to see Grimm watching them curiously.

Sam used the moment of distraction to pull Lara's arm down and circle it around her back. She winced as Sam pulled her arm up tighter. "Weren't you the one who said, 'Don't get distracted'?" Sam said smugly in her ear.

Lara stepped on Sam's toe hard enough that her grip loosened on her arm. She then dropped to her knee and pitched Sam to the side.

Sam landed on her back and groaned as Lara stood and stared down at Sam. "I guess I also should have told you never to get complacent." She turned to Grimm. "I was just teaching Sam how to fight," she explained.

"Looks like you're doing well there," he laughed. "You should teach her the Glasgow kiss." He mimed a headbutt and Lara had to stifle a smile. "I used that back in me glory days. Worked like a charm."

"What Lara's teaching me is already hard enough," Sam said, standing up with a polite smile. "Maybe in a few years."

Grimm laughed again. "Well if ye ever want a lesson, you know where to find me."

"Of course, Grimm," Lara said. "What are you doing here?"

"Roth asked me to get the pack of cards from his cabin,' he said, continuing that way. "We're going to play some poker. Want to join?"

Lara shook her head. "I'm fine thank you."

Grimm looked at Sam. "Sam?"

"Maybe later Grimm," she said with a smile.

He shrugged. "Suit yourselves." He walked on to Roth's cabin.

"Can we take a break?" Sam said once he was gone. She wiped some sweat off her brow. "I think I'm sore from the beating you gave me and I don't like the look of those clouds."

Lara looked up at the sky and saw the dark mass she was talking about. It had been sprinkling on and off for the past hour but it looked like the sky was about to tear open any second now.

"I think that would be a good idea," Lara said, walking to her cabin. She held the door open for Sam and then shut it behind her.

"This is a lot fancier than my place," Sam commented as she walked in. She took off her jacket and draped it over the back of the couch. "Is this where all the execs live? You, Roth, and Mathias? "

"Roth, Reyes and Alisha share the cabin to the left," Lara told her. She threw her a spare bottle of water and made a mental note to refill it later. "Alex and Jonah share a cabin. Mathias lives in the main area. Everyone else came later and took residence there as well."

She opened a drawer and took out the packet of Jaffa Cakes Sam had found a few days ago. They didn't seem stale yet. "Jaffa cake?" she asked Sam.

Sam accepted one from her gratefully and leaned back on the couch. "So you live by yourself?" she asked.

Lara took off her leather jacket and sat down next to Sam. She took a sip of water and a bite of her biscuit. "Yes," she said. "I prefer it that way."

It got lonely sometimes, but being around people made her nervous nowadays. You couldn't trust them- you didn't know if they were going to betray you, and if they did, it might be too late.

Sam watched her. "Is that why you don't want to play poker with the others?"

"You know I was never one for socialising Sam," she said.

"Well you're talking with me now." She nudged her. "You're not entirely asocial."

Lara smiled. "That's because you're different Sam. It's…nice having you around again."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Lara Croft, being nice? Wait until I tell everyone else about this."

Lara rolled her eyes and smiled. "Do what you will. But I don't think anyone would believe you."

A throb on her shoulder reminded her that she needed to change the bandage. "Could you do me a favour?" she asked Sam, walking over to the roll of gauze on the table. "Could you help me change my dressing?"

"Of course," Sam said. She took the gauze off her and Lara slipped one arm out of her shirt. Mathias was a professional, but Sam's presence made her too self-conscious to remove her whole shirt.

"It's raining now," Sam commented as she replaced the bandage. "I hate this bloody country."

Lara glanced outside and saw that she was right. The sky was dark and she couldn't tell what time it was. It wasn't a storm now, but she was sure there was going to be one later tonight.

She sighed. "I still have things to do," she remembered.

She still needed to chop more firewood and refill her water from the kitchen, but first she needed to go feed Arion. He technically wasn't _her_ horse but Arion didn't seem to respond well to anyone else but her.

Sam finished with the dressing and Lara put her arm back in her shirt. "Like what?" Sam asked.

"I need to go feed Arion," Lara answered. She put her jacket back on. "Thank you for that. And it's been fun today."

"Do you think I could come?" Sam asked.

Lara stretched. "Are you sure? It's raining pretty heavily outside."

"Well, I got nothing else to do until dinner." She headed towards the door, smiling. "And like you said, you enjoy my company."

Lara rolled her eyes as she picked up an old umbrella next to the door. "I never said those words specifically."

Sam grinned. "You might as well have."

Lara smiled and shook her head. She followed Sam outside and tried prying open the umbrella. She had found it here when they first arrived, and although it got stuck sometimes, it was useful when it rained.

Sam sighed. "I'm glad we have a proper place to stay this time," she said, looking up at the rain. "It's not very comfortable lying under some plastic."

Lara looked at her. It was nice to spend her free time with someone for a change. Alex and Jonah were nice company, but she wasn't as comfortable with them as she was around Sam.

She didn't know what it was; maybe the last embers of their former friendship which made it easier to rekindle it.

Or perhaps it was just something about Sam. She had always had charisma, always been popular with everyone at boarding school. She had no doubt that if Sam hadn't been her roommate, she would have been the shy nerd in the corner crushing on the cool, popular girl around school.

"Hey," Lara said, touching Sam lightly on the arm. Sam turned to her inquisitively. "Do you want to hang out again tonight?" she asked.

Sam furrowed her brow. She scratched the back of her neck. "Umm…"

Lara realised she might have overstepped her bounds. "You don't need to of course," she added quickly. "If you have something else you do, it's fine."

Sam smiled wryly. "Lara, relax," she said. "I just..." She hesitated, but then smiled for real. "I'd love to."

Lara smiled brightly and Sam gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Now, shall we go feed Arion?" she asked.

"Of course." She opened the umbrella and held it over both their heads as they stepped into the rain.


	9. Shot

Thanks for the kind reviews and of course to CosmicGunslinger for the edits.

* * *

Sam scrubbed at her clothes in the basin. She only had one other set of clothes since arriving at the resort, but she made sure to take care of them. Clean clothes were a luxury these days, and she made sure to clean them as soon as she was able to.

"Hey." She turned around and saw Will enter the laundry room with a handful of his own clothes. "How's it going?" he asked.

Sam turned back to the soapy bucket and shrugged. "Just doing my washing."

Will grabbed a bucket and started filling it up with water. "We haven't really hung out in a while," he said. He turned off the tap and put his dirty clothes in it. "What's going on?"

Sam narrowed his eyes at him. He sounded offended, though she wasn't sure what she had done to offend him. "I've just been busy," she said.

"Busy or hanging out with Lara?" he asked.

Sam dropped her clothes and groaned. "You cannot still be annoyed about that night," she scowled. "Because I already apologised for not wanting to _suck your cock_." She said the last words with derision.

Will pouted. "We're in a safe place now and I'm clean. I don't understand why you don't want it." He shook his head. "Anyways, that's not what I mean. What is up with you and her? You've been hanging out a lot."

Sam rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with that?" she asked.

"She's a psycho, that's what," he said. "Brent said that she once killed a father and son that surrendered to her when they went on a supply run together. Even the militia weren't that cruel with those that were infected."

Sam frowned. She remembered Emily, the little girl they had run into while travelling to the orchard. Lara had been so callous, Sam wouldn't have been surprised if she had shot the girl if she resisted.

But this wasn't the Lara she had been talking to for the past two weeks. Lara was sweet, kind and still a total dork. She was serious most of the time, but she still really liked hanging out with her.

"Look…she's not that bad," Sam said hesitantly. "She's nice. She's just a little prickly sometimes because people are rude to her."

Will shot her a look. "Just because she's nice to you, it doesn't mean she's not an asshole," he said. He stopped scrubbing his shirt and walked up to her. "I'm just trying to look out for you, Sam." He reached up and attempted to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

Sam jerked her head away. "We're not together, Will," she said, taking a step away from him. "I thought you knew that."

Will grunted and stepped back. "Worth a shot," he muttered.

Sam scowled. "You've been hanging out with Vlad too much."

"Hey, they're good people," he protested. He turned back to his washing. "They've been really accommodating. They're the right people to be around."

Sam snorted. "You know they'll probably backstab you if it came down to it?"

"Vlad and his group are transparent. You know what they want from you, and where you stand with them. You should try to spend more time with us."

Sam didn't really like those guys from the few days she had spent with them. She shook her head. "I think I'm good."

Will shrugged. "Alright, but I meant what I said before. Be careful of Lara; I don't want to see you hurt."

Sam pressed her lips together and turned back to her washing. She doubted Will really cared about her - he was probably just hoping for an occasional lay. But he had a point. She had seen Lara's dark side before and the only reason why she hadn't seen it recently was because the situation never presented itself.

She turned to Will and saw someone quickly pass the window behind him.

She frowned. That didn't look like anyone from the resort.

Will turned around. "What are you looking at?" he asked.

Sam put down her clothes and walked to the exit. She looked out the window but nothing else happened.

"I think we might have an intruder," she said quietly. Will dropped his washing and hurried over to her. "I saw someone through the window."

She felt for the pistol at her waist and peeked outside.

There were two people crouched behind a building, peeking around a corner. From the opposite side, they might have been hidden, but behind them, Sam saw them as clear as day.

Sam drew her pistol and turned to Will. He had spotted them too and his face was stern.

"What do we do?" she asked him. Her heart was beating in her chest. She didn't know whether she should shoot or try to subdue them. Shooting would be easier, though she didn't want to kill them if she didn't have to.

"Try to capture them," Will said.

He eased out behind her and drew out his own gun. They hadn't taken more than a few steps when one of the intruders turned and saw them.

Will fired his gun but he missed and the intruders started running.

"Run!" one of them yelled.

"Shit!" Sam and Will took off after them. Her gun was tight in her hand as they followed the intruders around the corner.

She saw them run to the other side of the dining area but they rounded the corner before she got a chance to shoot. They must be trying to get back to wherever they entered.

She saw Roth and Grim running towards them. "Roth! Grim!" she shouted, pointing towards where the intruders had run.

But they had already seen them and were after them. "Stop!" Roth yelled. They both disappeared behind the corner as Sam and Will ran to catch up with them. She was vaguely aware of people running towards the scene.

There was a bang, followed by a loud, Scottish curse. Sam caught her breath as she rounded the corner.

Grim was lying on the ground, a pool of red spreading beneath his head. Roth had tackled the person who had shot him and was now wrestling with him. The gun had skidded away, but the second intruder now had his gun aimed at Roth.

Sam fired her gun before she could think. It hit the intruder's hands and caused him to drop his gun. Will tackled him to the ground and started punching him, trying to knock him out.

Roth cried out and Sam saw the first intruder get off Roth and start to run. A knife was buried in Roth's shoulder, but he was pushing himself up and struggling to draw his gun.

Sam fired her gun at the man. She hit him once, twice in the back, and he fell to the ground, crying. Vladimir ran past her and quieted him with a bullet to the head.

"Roth! Shit!" Reyes ran over to Roth and sat him up. The knife was buried deep in his shoulder and there was blood flowing freely down his arm.

Will stood up off the second intruder, panting heavily as he lay unconscious at his feet.

"What happened?" Lara asked. She ran over to Roth and looked over him.

Roth grimaced, his face contorted in pain. "G-Grim…" he managed.

Sam looked over to where she had last seen the Scotsman. He was lying motionless on the ground, a dark red stain over his heart.

Lara clenched her jaw and knelt down next to him. She put two fingers to his internal jugular then closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "He's dead," she said quietly.

"Move." Mathias shouldered his way through the crowd and knelt down next to Roth.

"What happened?" Jonah asked. He was standing behind Sam, his arms folded across his big chest. "We heard a gunshot and rushed over."

"We saw these guys sneaking around," Will said. "And we were going to try to capture them but they saw us and ran, so I tried to shoot them. But they got away and we followed them, and then this…" he gestured to the mess around them. "…happened."

"How did they even get in?" Alex asked, rubbing his eyes.

"That will have to wait," Mathias said. "Reyes, take Roth to the infirmary. We need to remove the knife and stop the bleeding as soon as possible. I'll meet you there."

Reyes usually wasn't one for taking orders but she nodded and slung one of Roth's arms around her shoulders. She headed towards the infirmary while Mathias remained behind.

"Will, Vladimir," he said, turning towards them. "Watch over the captive. Take him to one of the spare cabins and tie him to the bed. If he wakes, find out where he came from."

Vladimir slung the intruder over his back and began carrying him away. Will glanced at Sam then followed Vladimir to the main cabins.

"Everyone else, check the rest of the camp. There might be more lurking around so stay on your guard."

"We need to bury Grim," Jonah said quietly. He was kneeling next to the dead Scotsman, eyes downcast.

"You can do that," Mathias said. "But Lara and Alex - check the perimeter. We need to know how they got in."

Lara hadn't moved from Grim's side. She glared at Mathias, her jaw clenched. "Fine," she snapped. She stood and turned to Sam. "Where did they come from?" she asked.

Sam flinched at the harshness of her voice. "Umm…I think they came from the side," she said. "I saw them run past the window, so they must have come from near the corner of the resort."

"Okay then." She turned and headed off in that direction. "Come on, Sam."

Sam frowned and looked at Alex who nodded in Lara's direction. She holstered her gun and hesitantly followed them.

They walked over to the fence in silence. Sam's nerves were fraught and she was constantly looking around for anything out of the ordinary. It helped distract her from the tense silence surrounding Alex and Lara.

She wanted to say something -'I'm sorry' maybe? She didn't know Grim that well but it was clear everyone else was close to him. She wasn't sure 'I'm sorry' would cut it, or that Lara wasn't going to bite her head off if she said it.

They arrived at the fence in short time. "Split up," Lara ordered. "Find out where they came in."

Sam thought about talking to Lara but she had stalked off before she got the chance. She sighed and turned to the wall.

The fence here was reinforced much like the rest. Sheets of iron made panels which covered the fence. Wooden braces helped keep the panels up and made it stronger. As far as Sam could tell, there weren't any gaps or holes in the fence where they could have gotten in.

"I can't find anything," Alex murmured, standing up. "Maybe we should head further up. They could have entered from somewhere else."

Lara was staring at a tree outside the fence. "You do that, Alex," she said. She turned and began walking off. "I'm going to check something outside."

Alex looked at Sam who shrugged. "I might follow her," she said. "Make sure she doesn't do anything rash."

Alex sighed. "Okay, I'll keep looking along the perimeter."

Sam ran to catch up with Lara. Lara didn't turn when she stopped next to her, just kept walking. "So…" Sam began, "What are you looking for?"

"You'll see," Lara said unhelpfully.

Sam followed her in silence.

On the other side of the fence, there was still no sign of a break-in as far as Sam could see. It was still untouched and looked sturdy enough to hold off a few biters.

"I knew it," Lara whispered. She was examining the trunk of a tree.

Sam frowned; she couldn't see what was so interesting. "What?" she asked.

"See this scratched bark?" she said. Sam looked at where she was pointing and nodded. "Someone climbed this recently and there are faint footprints leading to this area."

Sam nodded slowly, but truth be told, she couldn't really understand what Lara was looking at.

"So they climbed the tree and jumped over?" she asked.

"I believe so. Though I'm not sure how they expected to get out again."

Sam let out a breath. "I guess we should go tell Roth and Mathias about this."

"Yes. We should also cut down that branch as soon as we can. We might need to double check our walls as well." They began walking back to the main entrance. "Could you go tell Alex? He's probably still looking for holes in the walls."

Sam nodded. "Sure." Anything to help the situation.

"Thank you." Lara stared ahead and trudged along.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked hesitantly. "About…all this."

Lara closed her eyes for a second and sighed. "I wish I could have done something," she said sadly. "Grim was a fierce warrior. He shouldn't have died like that."

Sam looked down. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him," she said. She had been there. If she'd been faster, maybe she could have done something.

"Don't apologise, Sam," Lara said gently. "You did nothing wrong."

Sam nodded. She hadn't known Grim for long, but he seemed like a good man. He always had funny stories to tell as well, which was a welcome break from the sombre tone of the camp.

"Come to the infirmary when you've told Alex," Lara said.

Sam nodded and walked off to the back of the camp to find him. Sure enough, he was still meticulously scanning the wall for any breaks.

Sam told him Lara's discovery and he nodded in acceptance. They headed back to the infirmary where several people were having an argument. Alex and Sam looked at each other skeptically before approaching them.

"We need to stay and reinforce the resort." Lara said sternly. "These people are probably long gone by now, there's no reason to go out there."

Vladimir growled, the sound akin to a bear. "We need to show them our strength," he said. "That they cannot mess with us without consequences. There are five; we can take them, and take what they have."

"And what if they ambush you? More people could die, and for what? A needless vendetta!"

"Don't you want to make them pay for what they did to Grim?" Will asked her. Sam was surprised he was speaking against her. Usually he went quiet whenever she was around.

Lara closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "What happened to Grim was unfortunate," she said, opening her eyes. "But we need to be smart. Blindly going out for revenge will just lead to our deaths."

"Enough." Mathias emerged from the infirmary door, his clothes slightly flecked with blood. "This arguing is senseless. It is not your decision anyway."

Lara turned to him, her expression suddenly full of worry. "How's Roth?" she asked.

"He'll be fine," he said. "But he needs antibiotic ointment. We don't have much left."

Lara narrowed her eyes. "I assume you want me to go find some?" she asked.

Mathias shrugged. "Would you rather he dies of an infection?"

"And what are you going to do about this other group in the meantime?"

"Conrad and I have discussed it and we believe we should go after them."

Lara scowled. "Roth said this?" she asked incredulously. Even Sam was skeptical. Roth was usually level headed. Why would he want to get revenge?

Mathias stepped calmly to the side, revealing the infirmary door. "You can go ask him yourself if you want."

Lara glared at Mathias then walked into the infirmary.

Sam leaned over to Alex. "What's happening?" she whispered.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know," he said, "I'd rather not get caught up in it, though. I tried once and Vlad almost bit my head off." He was quiet for a while.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked him. He was too quiet, not at all like the nerd she had come to know.

"I'm still in shock, I guess," he said. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I didn't expect anyone to die anytime soon. Especially not Grim. He didn't go on runs and he never got sick...it just feels...wrong."

"He didn't go down without a fight at least," Sam offered comfortingly.

"I guess." He put his glasses back on. "I'm going to go see how Jonah's going. Do you want to come?"

"Okay."

Sam followed him to an area near the lake. It looked like it used to be a picnic area, a nice, relaxing grassy field where families used to sit together and eat. The grass would have been overgrown but this was where Arion came to feed - their own automatic lawn mower.

Now, there were several mounds of dirt marking where people had been buried, and amongst them, Jonah was digging a grave next to two bodies.

"Do you need help?" Alex asked Jonah.

The big man wiped some sweat off his brow and handed Alex a shovel. Sam felt awkward standing there, just watching the two men dig. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

Jonah looked at her with tired eyes. "We need another grave for the other body," he said. "If you want to help, there is a spare shovel in the tool shed."

Sam nodded. "I'll be right back then."

 _Shit…_ she thought as she walked away. How did this happen? She knew that no place was truly safe but it was still jarring when someone died.

She had tried though - she had shot one of the men and the other was currently being interrogated. It was stupid and maybe a bit insensitive, but she clung to that small victory.

When she returned, Alex and Jonah were lowering Grim's body into the grave. They took a step back, their eyes downcast sombrely.

Sam watched on respectfully from the side, clutching the shovel awkwardly.

She could feel the anger, hurt and sadness surrounding Grim's death but it was harder for her to really feel his death. It was strange being the person who didn't really care; it reminded her that she was still an outsider to these people. She had only been here for about two weeks after all.

Someone put a hand on her shoulder.

Sam's heart leapt into her throat until she turned and saw that it was Lara.

"Go pack," she said quietly. Her face was stoic as she watched Alex and Jonah. "We're leaving in thirty minutes."

This was sudden. "Where are we going?" Sam asked.

"Bath. We need to find medicine. Go to the pickup truck."

Sam frowned at her. "Are you okay?" Lara seemed…not calmer, but sadder. She didn't have the same heated energy as before. "What did Roth say?"

Lara didn't look away from the grave. "I'll tell you later."

Sam watched her face for a moment and saw the slightest twitch of her lips. Lara would talk to her when she was ready, she reminded herself.

"Okay…I'll umm…see you then." Sam touched Lara's arm gingerly before heading back to her cabin to prepare for the task ahead of her.


	10. Nothing Left That's Not Hidden

Thanks for all the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing it.

* * *

Lara took a deep breath and sighed, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the gear shift. They were thirty minutes away from the resort and Lara was finally feeling calmer.

She wasn't mad anymore. The anger had been drained out of her after the talk with Roth and the impromptu funeral.

Now, she was just numb.

 _Grimm's gone_ , she thought, _He's really gone._

Lara had said little at the funeral. Roth and Jonah had said rough speeches about the times they had together, what a great person he was and how he would be missed. Those who weren't busy reinforcing the camp had also attended to pay their respects.

The old bastard was tough and he had been through a lot. He was actually the one to teach Lara how to fight, so she would be prepared for this rough world. It was surreal to think that he was taken down by a simple bullet.

It didn't feel right.

Lara shook her head and focused on the road ahead of her.

He was gone now.

 _I need to move on,_ she reminded herself. Right now _,_ she needed to find medicine for Roth.

She gritted her teeth as she remembered the encounter.

Mathias had been right. Roth did want them to go after those who attacked them, as they couldn't risk another attack. The group might be angry once their scouts didn't return, and it was better to attack them before they retaliated.

Lara's argument that is was a fool's errand was shot down by both Roth and Mathias. Roth had wavered on the idea but eventually he had asked Lara to go out and search for more medicine. Their supplies had been running low, and with Roth's new injury they needed someone to go out and find more.

Grudgingly, she agreed.

She didn't like this, how Roth was yielding to Mathias so easily. He didn't see the danger that lending him that much control would pose. People would learn to turn to Mathias instead of Roth, and this would mean his control over the resort would slip.

She wished that Roth would take her more seriously. Recently, he had been focused on making the resort better - improving the farm, securing the orchard, obtaining more luxuries and focusing more on electricity and plumbing. As noble as those goals were, he was so absorbed that he couldn't see there was a larger threat before him.

"Do you think it's going to rain?" Sam asked. She was in the seat next to her, resting her head on her hand. Alex was in the back, sleeping, as he was on guard duty the night before.

Lara glanced at the sky. It was grey and overcast.

"I think so," she answered.

"As if the cold wasn't bad enough," she muttered, pulling the beanie lower over her head.

Lara had asked Sam to come with her on this trip.

Sam had managed to stop the intruders, much to her surprise, and she had saved Roth's life. She was relieved when she heard that - he was practically the last family she had left and she couldn't bear to lose him.

"Hey umm…" Lara cleared her throat and glanced at Sam. "Thank you for saving Roth. He told me how well you handled that situation."

Sam smiled faintly. "It's no big deal," she said. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm… fine," she said, frowning slightly. "I just want tomorrow to come."

 _We need to move on._

There was a warm hand over hers. Lara looked down and saw that it was Sam's. "You know you can talk to me right?" she said, her eyes soft. "I wasn't close to Grimm but I'm here for you."

Lara looked back to the road, but she didn't remove her hand. She felt some blood rise to her cheeks. "I know," she said. "Thank you. But I'm doing fine."

Sam removed her hand, and it was suddenly cold without her. She ignored the strange feeling and gripped the wheel with both hands.

After another half-hour, they had arrived at Bath. Cars were congested towards the main entrance so she stopped at the edge of the blockade and they walked the rest of the way in.

"Does everyone have their walkie talkies?" Lara asked as they climbed over a few crashed cars.

"Yes," Sam answered.

"Yep." Alex said. "I've been looking at them actually. If we can find another antenna I could fix it to our walkie talkies and increase the range."

"Where are we going to find new antennas?" Sam asked. "Oh, maybe we could pull them off cars?"

"I don't think that's going to work…"

"We need to find medicine," Lara interrupted. "If we see any antenna's we'll pick them up but they're not our priority right now."

"Yeah…you're right, L.C," Alex agreed ruefully.

"We'll try a pharmacy first," she said. "It's unlikely we'll find anything, but it's worth a shot." She scanned the cars around her as she walked, careful of any biters in the distance or trapped behind the cars.

"How did we even run out of antibiotics?" Alex asked. "I swear we had heaps."

"We have a few antibiotics, but we need more ointment," Lara clarified. "We also need to find more bandages. I thought we had more as well, but Mathias said that Vladimir's recent run drained our supplies."

"You don't believe him." Sam noted.

Lara didn't realise her tone had become bitter. "No, I don't," she said. "Mathias and Peter are in charge of taking stock of the medicine we have. I don't know if they tampered with it."

"Do you really think they'll do that?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. Mathias was devious enough to do so. "But I don't have proof."

She saw something in the corner of her eyes and turned to see a biter on the floor. It had no legs and was crawling towards them quite slowly. Lara drew her knife and stabbed its head.

"We should get a move on," she said, wiping the blade on its clothes. "If this is going to take more than a day, we need to be able to find a safe place to stay as well."

They trekked the rest of the way into the city, only changing their route a few times to avoid biters on the main road. The majority of the streets on the outskirts were empty save for a few deserted cars and the stray biter near the buildings.

She had been through this place before during previous supply runs and thus knew the shortcuts if they needed to escape. It gave her a sense of comfort, but there was always a chance that a biter would be there and mess up her escape plan.

They walked until they were in the main city, which was still mostly unexplored. There was a pharmacy on a corner which Lara hadn't searched yet so they went in there.

The front door looked like it had once been barricaded but it was now smashed in, and the biters had clearly gotten through. Lara peered inside and saw that there were about five biters wondering around. There was enough space between the isles to face them one at a time but also effectively manoeuvre.

Lara signed to her companions behind her to take out the biters to the right. Alex had been on supply runs with her before and understood how she worked. She had given Sam the basic information as they were driving here and now it remained to be seen how she would perform.

She hoped Sam would be competent as she was looking to replace Brent. He was a decent fighter but as of late he had increasingly been hanging out with Vladimir. He was quiet on their last run, and she didn't trust him anymore to have her back if it came to it.

Lara unslung her bow and moved in, firing two shots at the biters on the left. One went down, but the other moved surprisingly fast and reached her before she could draw another arrow.

Lara shoved it back with the arms of her bow and then pinned it against the shelf. It snapped at her, dangerously close to her hands, but she managed to draw an arrow and shove it through its skull.

Two more biters were heading towards her down the aisle so she dropped the biter she had pinned and knocked a new arrow. They went down effortlessly.

Lara turned to see how Alex and Sam were doing. They had taken down the rest of the biters and were now walking towards the back of the store. Lara joined them, her eyes scanning the floor for any other hidden biters.

"Looks like the front is clear," she said. She saw a staff door to their right and walked over to try it. It was locked.

"I think there's something inside," Sam said, putting her ear to the door.

Lara and Alex frowned and listened carefully. There was…something. It was faint, but it did sound like there was something moving in there.

"We should be careful then," Lara said, leaning back. She turned to Alex, "Do you think you can open this door?" she asked him.

Alex grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Give me a minute." He took out his lockpicks from a pouch on his belt and set to work.

"We should look around," she said to Sam. "There might be some antibiotics here."

Sam nodded and headed to the other side of the store. Lara went to the first aisle and walked through it. It was full of makeup, some of which were smashed on the floor.

The second aisle was full of health supplements and protein shakes which weren't helpful in this lifetime.

The third was nearly empty. It must have contained all the useful medication. She walked through slowly, picking up bottles and packets to see if there was anything left.

"Hey guys, guess what I found?" Lara glanced back and saw Sam leaning on the shelf at the end of her aisle, looking at a box in her hands. She had a broad grin on her face.

"Ointment?" Lara asked.

"Uhh not quite."

Lara looked back and dropped to her knees, looking under the shelves. She wrinkled her nose at the dust but spotted a box about an arm's length away. She reached for it carefully.

Sam giggled. "A packet of condoms."

Lara jerked upwards in surprise and hit her arm under the shelf. She hissed and waited until her arm didn't feel like it was at risk of dislocating before pulling the box out.

"You know…I can help you use those," Alex offered cheekily.

Lara stood up and frowned at him. _Really?_ she thought.

Sam snorted. "Nice try Weiss."

"Sam, we're meant to be looking for antibiotics not condoms," she said.

Sam ignored her and continued. "I might take some actually." Lara couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "You never know when they might come in handy."

Lara turned away and frowned at the box of hayfever tablets she had pulled out. Was Sam really going to fill her bag with something so useless? "You're confident, aren't you?" she muttered under her breath.

Sam laughed. "Sorry, what?"

Heat rose to her cheeks. Sam wasn't meant to hear that. Lara cleared her throat and busied herself with putting the tablets in her bag. "Nothing."

"You know, you should take some," she said, walking up to her. Lara looked at her incredulously. "I bet you could use them."

Lara blushed and shifted uncomfortably, slinging her bag back onto her shoulder. She _definitely_ didn't need them. "I'm…I'm good thanks," she stuttered.

Sam hit her lightly in the chest with the box of Trojans. "Ahh of course," she grinned, "You don't need protection do you? Your scowl already does that for you."

Alex snorted and Lara frowned, slightly vexed. She wasn't _unattractive_ , she thought bitterly. If she really wanted she could probably get a boyfriend. It was just that she didn't want to.

She turned away and focused intently on the packets on the shelves. "Can you _please_ focus on finding supplies?" she asked. "We don't have time for this."

Sam snickered . "All right, grumpy pants," she said. She put the box back on the shelf. "I couldn't find any ointment or bandages. There's almost nothing in those three aisles."

"Good news, though," Alex said, standing up. "I've unlocked the door."

Lara sighed in relief and walked towards him. Thank god. They could finally move on from this mortifying situation.

"You know I could teach you how to lockpick if you want," Alex said. He had made this offer before, but Lara hadn't felt up to it then. "I don't mind."

"Sure," she said. Lockpicking would be a useful skill. "When we return you can teach me."

Alex ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "Cool then."

She turned back to the door and knocked on it. She waited a moment, but there was no sound from the other side. "I can't hear anything," she said, frowning.

She drew her knife and placed her hand on the handle. "Be careful," she told them.

She opened it slowly with her shoulder against the door in case a biter slammed into it. It was dark, and when she turned on her torch she could see that there were stacks of boxes everywhere.

She saw some movement to her right behind some boxes. Lara tensed and slowly crept towards it. She pushed away the top box quickly, preparing to stab whatever was behind it but there was nothing there.

Lara frowned in confusion. Something darted out at her and she stumbled back, yelping.

A rat scurried out between her feet and over to the other side of the room. Lara groaned and watched the rodent bury itself in another pile of boxes. Behind her, Sam snorted.

Lara turned to glare at her and she put her hands up in a 'don't shoot' gesture. "I never thought I'd hear you scream like that," she said, grinning.

"I didn't scream," she said pointedly.

"Of course not," she said with a smile. "Right Alex?"

Alex grinned. "Of course not," he echoed.

Lara rolled her eyes and turned back to the storeroom.

They moved through the rooms carefully, scanning every corner for any sign of danger. Lara eventually turned into a room with a wide open door. Light flooded in and she stepped outside into an alleyway looking around.

There was nothing in sight; no biters, no humans. She looked around again before turning back to Alex and Sam. "It seems like it's clear," she said, "Let's see if we can find anything useful."

They searched through the storeroom but there were just boxes of makeup and vitamins. It seemed like the actual medication had been pilfered a long time ago.

"God dammit," Lara swore, throwing a bottle of fish oil down. She needed to find the damn ointment so she could get back to the resort and deal with things there.

"You know we could use these," Sam suggested. She was examining some vitamins. "I mean, we don't exactly have access to all five food groups so some supplements might do us good."

Lara gripped the edge of the box and took a deep breath, feeling calm return to her. "I suppose so," she said, turning around to her. "Take a box or two, but don't overburden yourself. We'll come back for them some other time."

She watched Sam put two bottles of vitamins into her bag. If there wasn't anything else of use here, they needed to move on. "We need to move as soon as we can," she said. "I don't want to be stuck here for too long."

"Where will we go next?" Sam asked standing up.

Lara started walking back to the front entrance. "I'm not sure. We'll search in the houses. I think we have a higher chance there."

They left the pharmacy and started exploring the town houses along the street. There were biters in about a quarter of them, and twice they were forced to run before the biters overwhelmed them.

There were a few useful items in the houses: batteries, pads, tissues, a few stray bullets, some fireworks in a boy's bedroom drawers, and a packet of curry powder which they took for Jonah. Sam also found a scarf which she wore to stave off the cold.

Sam managed to find one small tube of antibacterial ointment on a dead woman but that was all for five hours of scavenging.

They exited the last house they searched, heading back into the street.

"Where to now?" Sam asked tiredly. "We can't find any medicine anywhere."

They walked down the road, along the sidewalk towards another shop. There were a few cars littered sparsely on the street, and the shop windows were smashed - probably by looters.

"We need to keep searching," Lara said, but even she wasn't convinced. She was tired, and she doubted that she could find anything here as well. "There's nothing good left in this world that's not hidden."

They stepped off the sidewalk to cross the road. There was one shop on the other side that didn't have its door smashed in. Perhaps there was something useful in there.

Lara thought of their current inventory."We have one-"

There was a laugh from across the road. Lara froze and then ducked behind a car in front of her. Alex and Sam knelt down next to her as Lara peeked through the dirty car window.

"Next time you keep guard," someone grumbled. A man stepped out of a pub on the corner of the street. He took a puff of his cigarette and stood outside, a revolver at his belt.

"Shit," Sam said. "How are we going to get past?"

Lara looked around. They couldn't go back the way they had come - there were no cars to hide behind and the man would definitely see them if they did. The nearest car was behind them to the left, and there was a two metre gap between them. If the man were to turn, he would see them.

In other words, there was nowhere they could run.

"Maybe we just need to stay here until they move," Alex suggested.

Lara agreed that seemed to be the best course of action. The scavengers would have to move on soon, and when they did, they could head the other way.

There was a quiet growl in the distance. Lara looked behind Alex and saw a group of biters stumble around the corner of the street. They were heading this way, but they hadn't seen them yet. If they stayed behind this car though, they certainly would.

"Shit." Lara cursed. "I think we need to move."

Her companions looked in the direction of her gaze. "But we can't," Sam said. "He'll see us."

Lara glanced through the window again. The man was still smoking. He looked bored, but he was paying attention to his surroundings.

"We need to run," Lara decided, glancing back at the biters. They still hadn't spotted them but they were coming dangerously close.

If they killed the biters, the man would know they were there, but if they ran, there was a chance they would be undetected. "We'll wait until he's not looking this way. Get ready."

The window was going to be small so they needed to move quickly. She watched the man carefully; glance left, then right, then straight ahead. Rest for twenty seconds then repeat.

If she could, she would have watched him for longer to better understand his pattern, but they didn't have time. When he started to turn right, Lara told them to run.

The biters screamed behind them.

Lara cursed inwardly and spun around, drawing her bow at the same time. She stole a glance at the man - who had drawn his gun - before firing an arrow at the biters.

Alex and Sam both started shooting. Within seconds they were dead.

"Freeze!" Lara spun around and aimed an arrow at the scavengers. Two other people had come out from the pub and had their pistols pointed at them. "Who are you?" the man yelled.

Lara figured that they could take them. Alex and Sam had rifles whilst they had pistols. They just needed to be fast.

"Now wait," Sam said from behind her. "We don't want any trouble."

A young girl spoke. She looked about sixteen and had a faded red and white scarf around her neck. "Neither do we," she said. "So why don't you drop your weapons and walk away?"

Lara scowled. Her arm was starting to shake from pulling back the string. "Why? So you can shoot us while our backs are turned?

"That's not our way," the guard said, but Lara saw them grip their guns tighter.

"Okay, everyone let's calm down, alright?" Sam said quickly. The third member of their party, another man with a beard, was trembling slightly. He would be the first to fire she guessed. "Nobody needs to get hurt. How about we both lower our guns and walk away? Here, I'll lower mine."

"Sam!" Lara exclaimed, glancing back at her before realising she was leaving herself open to fire. "What are you doing?"

"It's okay, Lara," she said calmly. "We don't need to fight."

The girl eyed them suspiciously but no one said anything.

"We'll back away, okay? We can keep our weapons trained on each other the whole time but _no one needs to get hurt_."

Lara had to relax her hold on her arrow before she accidently shot it. She didn't like this. They would probably shoot them the second they started walking back. But now that Sam had lowered her gun and Lara wasn't ready to shoot, their odds of surviving had gone down dramatically.

"Fine," the guard said. "Walk away then."

"Thank you," Sam said. "Come on guys."

Lara glanced back and saw Sam slowly walk back to the other side of the street. She gritted her teeth and stepped back herself, not taking her eyes off the enemy. The scavengers glared at them, not lowering their guns the whole time.

When they were sufficiently far away, Lara turned and led them through the alleyways. "We could have taken them out, Sam," she said, still gripping her bow.

"No one got hurt, Lara," Sam defended. "I think that went rather well. What is it with you and killing people?"

Lara glanced back just in time to see Alex nudge Sam. When he saw her he grinned nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

Lara sighed and looked forward again. "I don't kill everyone I meet, Sam," she said, trudging on. "I'd rather not get into a fight. But if it happens, it's just easier that way." She'd rather not have them fire at her and risk injury or death.

"Well you didn't have to kill anyone then. Doesn't that feel better?"

It did, ever so slightly. Having to kill someone actively trying to kill her was easy as she could justify their death. However, killing someone who may or may not be an enemy was harder, as it made it harder to look into their blank eyes later.

"I guess," Lara admitted.

She heard Sam breathe a sigh of relief. "Good," she said.


	11. Smile

Thanks for all the kind reviews! And thanks to CosmicGunslinger for the edits. Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"I'll search up here," Lara said, as they dispatched a lone biter in a bedroom. "You guys can search downstairs."

When Lara was alone she put her hands on her hips and looked around the room. They had resumed searching the houses again, though they had only found one more tube of ointment. She was tempted to just head back with the two tubes. It was late afternoon, and it would be too difficult to find any more. Every hour she was away from the camp made her more and more anxious about Mathias being the effective leader of the resort.

Lara chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought about it. Roth might be fine without the medicine, and there was enough back at the resort to cure him if it came to it. Vladimir and his runners could find some more the next time they went for a supply run, so they could return to the resort now.

Lara sighed and started searching the bedroom. Those scavengers probably had medicine, it would have been easy to just kill them. Roth had forbade anyone from killing others for their supplies though, and Lara didn't want to kill anyone unless it was necessary.

There was nothing of use in these drawers. What had she hoped to find in here? Definitely not medicine. Maybe there was something else that could be useful?

This room was painted baby blue and the anime posters plastered over the walls suggested it belonged to a child. Lara found a roll of duct tape in one of the drawers, a packet of playing cards, a bag of chips in a wardrobe and, disturbingly, a switch blade under the bed.

Lara took them all. She could use the duct tape and playing cards to fletch her arrows and she could give the blade to Sam.

As she was about to leave the room, she spotted an Instax camera on the drawer next to the door. Lara picked it up and blew off the dust covering it. It didn't look old or broken, though she wondered if it still worked.

Lara pressed a button and was satisfied to hear a click and a piece of film slide out of the top. A picture of the bedroom was slowly developing on the film and she threw it on the floor.

Sam would like this, she thought. She wanted to be a videographer, didn't she? Although that wasn't possible anymore, maybe this would be a nice surprise.

Lara looked around the drawer in which she found it and spotted an extra packet of film. After that, she went downstairs, hoping that Sam would like the gift.

"Find anything upstairs?" Sam asked her. She was looking through the kitchen.

"A few things," Lara said. The camera was behind her back and she was suddenly nervous. Was this a stupid idea?

Lara looked around, realising that they were missing one person. "Where's Alex?" she asked.

"He went back to the mechanic's across the street," she said. "He said he remembered that he needed a few tools."

Lara frowned. Was that wise?

Then again, he was just across the street, and they had cleared the place out before. It also gave her a chance to speak with Sam alone.

She cleared her throat and Sam looked up at her. "Hey so…" she presented the camera to Sam shyly. "I found this upstairs. I'm…not sure if you're still interested, but I thought you might like it."

Sam took the Instax from her hand, a small smile on her face. "Does it still work?" she asked.

"Yes," Lara said, relaxing ever so slightly. "I found some film as well."

Sam looked through the eyepiece and took a few steps back. Lara folded her arms and watched her curiously. "Are you taking my picture?" she asked.

"Smile, sweetie," Sam grinned.

Lara raised an eyebrow, not moving.

There was a click as Sam took the picture. "I've always wanted one of these," she told her as she took the picture out of the top. "I was about to buy one actually, before shit went down."

"It's quite an expensive hobby," Lara said.

"Yeah but everyone would have loved it. I would have started a new trend and maybe could have become the school's unofficial photographer."

"Maybe," Lara smiled. Sam had been one of the cool girls back in school, and Lara could definitely see her getting everyone into buying expensive Polaroids.

"Wow, this is so you," Sam said, walking over to her.

Lara felt her cheeks warm as she looked at the picture. One eyebrow was raised and the edge of her lips were curled up as if she were amused. Her collar was dishevelled, her face was dusted with dirt and her hair was messy in its ponytail.

"Okay, that's not a good picture." She tried to take it but Sam pulled it out of her reach.

"Aww, I think you look cute," she grinned, waving the photo in front of her.

"Sam!" She was sure her face was even redder from that comment. She made a grab for it again but Sam skipped out of her reach. "Look, just give that back and I'll pose for a proper photo."

"I think I'm happy with this one." Lara glared at her. "But if you really want it," she tucked the photo into her bra and winked, "Come get it."

Lara covered her face with a hand. She hated Sam at that moment and she hated how red she must have been. "Fine," she grumbled, lowering her hand, "You win."

"Aww, don't look so glum," Sam said. She walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She lifted the camera in front of them. "Smile."

Lara did this time as she didn't want another bad photo. The film slid out the top and Sam plucked it out.

"Hey guys?!" Lara looked back and strode out of the kitchen. Alex ran into the house, looking dishevelled. "I umm…might have released a few dozen biters. We might want to leave."

"What?" Lara and Sam exclaimed at the same time.

Alex was already rushing out the back door. "If we hop over the fences we could lose them easily," he said.

Lara looked back and saw a biter enter the house, but could hear several more behind it. She cursed and followed Alex out of the house.

Alex and Sam were already pulling themselves over a fence. Lara ran up to it and vaulted over neatly.

There were two biters in this backyard, waiting for them as they climbed over. Lara drew her axe and dispatched one of them before it had a chance to grab her. She pushed the body onto the other one that was coming at her and then finished it off as it stumbled back.

"What happened?" Sam said when they were safely over.

"Shh!" Lara hissed, gripping the axe. There were growls on the other side of the fence and a moment later she could hear banging and scratching. "Come on," she said.

Lara walked over to the side gate and tugged on it. It was locked with a padlock, and although Alex could probably pick it, she didn't want to spend a minute waiting while there were biters banging on the other side of the fence.

Instead, Lara grabbed the door mat from the backyard and draped it over the fence's pointed spikes. Then she climbed up and pulled herself over carefully.

"Come on, guys." She turned around and kept an eye on the road as Sam and Alex climbed over the fence. The sun was starting to set, and they needed to find a safe house to stay in for tonight.

Lara led the way down the street and into a house which seemed empty. Luckily for them, it was, and she quickly decided that this would be where they would stay for tonight.

Alex had accidently drawn the attention of several biters at the garage whilst he was deconstructing the place for engine parts and tools. Lara could have smacked him upside the head for his foolishness. However, he did manage to find a clean roll of gauze in a first aid kit which had fallen down so it wasn't all for naught.

With a new roll of bandages and one tube of ointment, Lara decided they would head back in the morning. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would suffice until Vladimir and his runners went on their supply run.

There was a modern fireplace in this house, which would be good for staving off the cold. Lara and Alex quickly set to breaking down random wooden furniture and finding paper to use as fuel while Sam searched the house for anything useful.

The sun hadn't set yet when they got the fire going. Alex started heating up some cans of food they brought and Lara gathered some empty cans and strung them up across the balcony. For an extra precaution, she pushed the nearby dresser against the door.

"What do you think's going to happen when we get back?" Alex asked quietly.

Lara glanced at him then went to sit near the fire for warmth. "Hopefully Roth is fine and Mathias hasn't taken over the camp," she said tiredly. Reyes was there as well, and hopefully she would call Mathias out before he did anything drastic.

Alex frowned. "Do you think he would really do that?"

"Not directly. But he will gain influence and it will be easier for others to listen to him in the future."

Alex contemplated that as he chucked another chair leg into the fire place. "Would that really be bad, L.C? I mean, Mathias is a good surgeon and he seems to be organized and able."

Lara glared at him. "He's brutal, Alex," she said, annoyed that he would even consider something like that. "He doesn't help people. It would be a dictatorship, and those who fall behind will be killed. It's his belief in 'survival of the fittest'. Do you really want that?"

Alex flushed and looked away. "No, I guess not," he murmured quietly.

Lara sighed and leaned back against the couch. She would talk to Roth again when she got back, and hopefully he would do something about it.

"Well, the food is done," Alex announced. "You should go get Sam before I eat her share."

Lara stood and walked out towards the backyard where she had seen Sam go a while back. The rain had been reduced to a drizzle which fell lightly against the windows.

"Sam?" she said, opening the door to the backyard.

Sam had her new Instax out, taking a picture of a dead tree, which was silhouetted by the afternoon light.

"Hey," Lara said, walking over to her, "Dinner's ready."

"Just…" Lara watched Sam try several different angles of the tree. The scene was beautiful, but she didn't understand why it was necessary to take a picture of it.

Eventually Sam sighed and straightened. "It's too dark," she said sadly. "I wouldn't be able to get a good picture."

"I'm sure you'll find other muses," Lara said.

Sam turned to her and grinned. "Like you? You would make a fabulous model."

Lara blushed and shook her head. "You already have a picture of me. Two actually. I'm not doing it again."

Sam looked behind her and gasped. "Oh my god!" she whispered.

Lara turned and saw a bunny gnawing at the grass growing by the wall. She unhooked her bow. "Good find," she said, drawing an arrow.

Sam slapped her arm. "Don't kill it!" she hissed.

Lara lowered her bow. "We need to eat."

"We have food," she said, and slowly approached it, keeping low on the ground.

"Hey buddy," she cooed, making light kissing noises, "Hey…" The bunny froze and stared at her as she approached. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Sam, what are you doing?" Lara whispered.

"Shhh!" She knelt down in front of the rabbit slowly and extended her hand. It leaned forward and sniffed it curiously. Sam reached up and petted it carefully on the forehead.

Lara watched as Sam carefully picked it up in her arms, stroking it gently. She was impressed that she managed not to scare it away, but it was still dinner, no matter what. They could use the extra protein.

"Sam, you know it's going to end up as dinner," she said.

"Shhh!" she hissed, covering the rabbit's long ears. "Don't say that in front of Mr Rabbit."

Lara raised her eyebrows. "You named it?"

Sam took her hand off its ears. "First of all it's a ' _he'_ and second of all, yes. He's very cute," she said, smiling down at it. "He reminds me of the toy rabbit I had as a kid." She perked up. "Oh! Can you take a picture of us?" Sam asked.

Lara stared at her flatly. "Really?"

"Yes!" She pouted. "Come on Lara, pleeeeease?"

Lara sighed and picked up the Instax from where Sam had dropped it. She took a few steps back to take the picture.

Sam touched her nose to the rabbit's and the rabbit twitched its ear. Lara felt a smile tug at her lips as she took the picture and she had to admit that it was really cute. For that sake alone she wanted to keep the rabbit just so she could see Sam being so adorable.

Sam bounded over to her and looked at the photo. "Oh my god you're so cute aren't you?" she exclaimed, lifting the rabbit up again. "You're so fluffy!"

Lara smiled as she watched Sam gush about the rabbit. God, she hadn't seen anyone this enthusiastic about anything in a long time. It was infectious, and it made Sam absolutely glow.

She was beautiful, the way her features lit up when she talked about anything and everything. She loved the way she was cuddling with the fluffy bunny right now.

"Don't we look cute Lara?" Sam asked her.

Lara was looking at Sam. "Yes," she answered quietly.

She had answered so softly that Sam looked at her. Their eyes met for a second and Lara instantly looked away, feeling blood rise to her cheeks. Her eyes landed on Mr Rabbit and she latched onto it.

"Umm…uhh yeah!" she exclaimed awkwardly, leaning down to scratch the rabbit behind its ears. " _You're_ very cute, aren't you?" The rabbit fidgeted in discomfort and bit at her fingers.

Lara pulled her hand back and Sam laughed. "Looks like he's going to eat you first," she remarked.

Lara glared at her but she was relieved that Sam didn't comment on her slip up. She put the Instax back in Sam's bag and stood again.

"We should get back to Alex," she said. "So the rabbit is either dinner or you can let it go."

Sam pouted at her and looked at the rabbit sadly. She knelt down and put the bunny on the floor. It hopped back to the grass at the fence and Lara sighed. That would have been a good addition to her dinner.

She felt a light peck on her cheek and turned to see Sam smiling at her. "Thanks," she said coyly. "You didn't have to humour me, but you did anyways."

Lara blushed and cleared her throat. "Yes, well," she said, scratching the back of her neck. "Let's go before I change my mind."

* * *

They headed back to the car and drove back to the resort as soon as the sun came up. Sam took the wheel this time while Lara sat in the seat next to her and Alex in the back.

"So when do you want these lock picking lessons, L.C?" Alex asked, leaning forward.

Lara shrugged. She was staring outside the window, watching the English fields past by. "Whenever you're not busy," she said.

"Cool, cool," Alex nodded. "How about tomorrow then?"

Sam resisted the urge to snort as she drove. Poor Alex. He clearly had a major crush on Lara but she seemed too oblivious to notice. He was cute, she guessed, and a nice guy, and _maybe_ Lara would have gone for him before all this.

But would she have? There was that moment they had back in that house. She heard what Lara had said, about who exactly was cute.

Lara had always been private about her love life, so there could be a chance she was into girls. They had been getting rather close as of late, and _maybe_ there was a chance Lara had feelings for her?

Nah.

Lara had told her before that she wasn't interested in a relationship. This was probably just their friendship, as they had been closer than most girls back in school.

She missed the end of that conversation but Alex seemed happy in the rear view mirror. Lara must have accepted, but she still seemed as indifferent as ever.

They arrived back at the resort in quick time. One of the guards opened the gate for them and Sam drove the car back into the parking lot. Lara and Alex headed for the infirmary immediately and Sam followed them, not quite sure where else to go.

She hoped Roth was fine. He was a nice man once you got to know him and Lara cared for him a lot.

Roth was sitting in the infirmary, Alisha at his side. His arm was in a sling but he seemed better. He and Alisha were talking about plants or something when they walked in. They were quite close, Sam noted, not as close as Lara was with Roth but they still hung out a lot. That was to be expected though when you were dating the mum.

"Roth," Lara said. She strode over and hugged him. "I'm glad you're okay."

Roth smiled. "It takes more than a knife to bring me down, girl. Alisha's been keeping me company while I've been in here."

Alisha looked at them. "He won't stay still despite Mathias' orders," she told them. "He keeps going out and trying to help, even though he can't do anything with _one arm_." She stared at him as she said the last bit.

"I need to keep everyone calm," he protested. "Mathias has been doing a good job, but I need to help."

Sam noticed Lara was frowning. She knew her feelings on the surgeon as she had been quite vocal about her displeasure in Bath.

"Anyway, how was your mission?" Roth asked.

Lara glanced back at them. "Not as well as we'd hoped…" she said, looking back. "We didn't find much, and I didn't feel comfortable being away for too long so we came back."

Alex bought out the two tubes of antibacterial ointment and the roll of gauze from his backpack.

"I suppose that will do," Roth sighed. "We'll need to have another supply run soon."

"How are things here?" Alex asked. "Were there any more attacks?"

"Everyone is on edge," Roth told them. "We've had no more attacks, but no one is going to be at ease until Vlad comes back and confirms that the rest have been killed. Mathias has reinforced the fences, secured the border, and posted more guards."

"You just let him do this?" Lara asked.

Roth gave Lara a patient look. "He ran everything by me first. He's done well dealing with the fallout. Would you have done differently if you were here?"

Lara was silent but Sam could tell she was simmering on the inside. She understood why she was mad: leaving Mathias with all this control would just cement the people's trust in him.

Personally, Sam didn't see why Mathias was so bad. He was a little creepy, but he seemed like a decent leader who would keep them alive. Roth trusted Mathias anyways, so Lara just seemed paranoid and jealous. But Lara must have known something that she didn't.

There was a knock on the door and Jonah walked in. "Vladimir and the others are back," he said. He looked worried. "But…they've brought the bandits back with them."

Roth was confused. "I thought they were going to eliminate them when they found them," he said. "Why did they bring them back?"

Sam followed them outside. People were stopping their tasks and heading towards the central area, where Vlad and his runners were unloading several people from the pickup truck. There were three men, all beaten and subdued, two women and a little boy. Someone dragged the thief which Sam had fought and dumped him next to his friends.

He looked horrible - his face was bloodied and both his eyes were swollen. He could barely move - he just lay there motionless on the ground as his friends stared at him in horror. What did Dmitri do to him?

Their hands were bound behind their backs and there was duct tape on their mouths. One of the women looked sick and pale, whilst the rest looked scared. There was one man with a rough beard whose eyes were hard and defiant.

Sam stood close to Lara, nervous about what was happening.

The tension in the camp was palpable. It reminded Sam of Swindon, where the tension between the militia and the people slowly erupted. First it was in small incidents; a fight here, a soldier or citizen killed there. Then, it just blew up in a full out revolt, where gunshots and screams echoed throughout the city.

Mathias appeared and walked over to where the people were being forced to their knees. He held a gun in one hand, and his expression was as cold as the air. Sam glanced at Lara, who was still as stone.

"These people," Mathias began, pacing, his voice resonating throughout the camp, "Came to our homes, and tried to steal from us. One of our friends _died_ , because of _them_ ," he pointed at the bandits. "We cannot let this go unpunished, can we?"

Several people in the crowd murmured in agreement. What was happening?

Mathias stopped behind the thief, who was still lying on the floor, barely conscious. "Let this be a lesson to anyone who wishes to harm us."

He put the gun at the man's head and fired.

Sam flinched at the sound. No one else in the crowd reacted, save for some grim smiles.

What was this? Why was Mathias killing these people in front of them?

The rest of the bandits started struggling against their bindings, but Vlad and his brother kept them quiet with a rough kick. The boy had started sobbing quietly, his head bowed.

This was insane. It was cruel, excessively so. Why was Mathias doing this?

"Mathias!" Roth yelled, walking up to him. Lara followed him as well. "What are you doing?"

Mathias turned towards Roth, a calm fire burning through him. "Giving them what they deserve," he said evenly. "They killed Grimm. Don't you want them to pay?"

"Not like this," Roth hissed.

"This is cruel, Mathias," Lara growled. "You should have killed them at their camp, not brought them back here."

Mathias looked at Lara. His next words were too quiet to hear from this distance but Lara's jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed.

Mathias smirked - it was the smallest turn of the lips, the subtle crinkle of his cheek, but he smirked. "Well they are here now," he said, louder so the whole camp could hear. "Would you rather let them go?" He turned to the crowd. "Is that what you want? To let them go?"

A few people shifted uncomfortably, maybe five, but most of them started muttering in dissent.

"They need to die, Roth," someone said. Sam recognised her as Bethany. She hadn't talked to her much, but she seemed nice enough. "They tried to steal from us and they killed Grimm."

"Kill them!" Charlie said. "Don't let these fuckers go!"

Lara and Roth looked at the crowd, pained, and Sam felt for them. She realised what Mathias was doing - what Lara had been worried about all trip.

Mathias had told Vlad to bring the people back alive. He knew that Roth wouldn't want to see people killed in their home ground and that he would protest. And in protesting, he would seem weak, whilst Mathias appealed to the crowd.

This public execution was sending a message to someone, but it wasn't anyone who might attack them- it was to the people of the camp.

He had power. He had force. And he would kill anyone who stood in his way.

And in doing that he had swung several people over to his side.

Roth gritted his teeth and turned to Mathias. "Fine," he said. "Kill them."

Mathias presented the gun to him. "Would you like to do the honours?" he asked with his same expressionless face. "Our leader should be seen making the hard choices."

"Roth…" Jonah muttered next to her.

"Is he actually going to do it?" Alisha asked, a tremble in her voice.

The bastard. Now he was making Roth partake in the cruelty with him. If he wouldn't, he would appear a coward, but if he did, he would be violating his morals and possibly lose respect from the people who were still loyal to him.

Roth took the gun with a stony expression. He looked at the people kneeling down before him. Lara was standing behind him and looked frustrated. She muttered something to him but Roth didn't turn around and pulled the trigger on the next man.

Alisha turned away from the scene next to her. Sam looked at her and put a hand on her shoulder, not wanting to look either. Alisha flinched with every gunshot and she had closed her eyes. There were maybe two other children here, and she wondered how they were feeling watching this.

Sam counted five gunshots and then silence. She looked back up and saw Roth motionless behind the child. His teeth were clenched tight that she could see his jawbone, and Sam thought his hand was trembling. The young boy was crying freely, his eyes squeezed tight shut.

There was a silence in the camp as everyone waited to see what he would do.

"Come on then!" Charlie yelled.

 _He's just a kid_ , Sam thought with a heavy heart. _What the fuck is wrong with Mathias?_

"Hesitating, Conrad?" Mathias asked. Sam could hear the smugness in his voice from here.

Roth looked up at him with a steely glare. The gun didn't move from behind the boy's head, and the sobs rang ten times louder in the silence.

He didn't want to do it, Sam could tell, but he had to if he wanted to keep control.

Lara snatched the gun from his hand. _BANG!_

The sobs stopped, and the camp was still.

Lara lowered her arm and looked at Vladimir and his brothers, who seemed equally as surprised by the event. "Get this cleaned up," she demanded. "Bury them. _Properly_. Everyone else, get back to work!"

She tossed the gun back to Mathias and walked away.


	12. Tantalus

I am glad you guys all enjoyed the last chapter from the fabulous reviews you left. This one is short though. Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing this.

* * *

Someone was crying.

Lara squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw. The image of a young boy, hands tied, head bowed and on his knees flashed before her. She could hear the bang of the gun and smell the smoke from the muzzle as clearly as if it had just happened.

Her stomach rumbled and brought her back to reality. Lara opened her eyes and looked around frantically. There wasn't any danger, it was fine.

Lara rubbed her face and glanced towards the lit up dining area. People were already heading there for dinner, and the smoke from some of the buildings made her aware of how cold it was out here.

 _Just a few more minutes,_ she told herself, looking back. The next shift would arrive soon once they had picked up their food, and Lara and Brent could go get theirs.

Lara heard two growls below her and looked down. There was a lantern up here, but it was darker on the ground so she could barely see anything down there. She could hear the biters scratching against the wall though, so she drew an arrow and aimed carefully.

Relying on sound only, she lined up the shot and then let it go. The growls quietened and Lara drew another arrow. She dispatched the last biter and hooked her bow around her body once more.

"Brent! Lara!" Lara looked down and saw Roth walking towards them. "You guys can go now," he said, "Charlie will be here in a moment."

Lara walked over to the nearest ladder and climbed down it. The platform shook slightly, but held. Thanks to the designs of Ronald, an architect, the walls, supports and walkways at the resort were fairly strong.

Brent said nothing as he jumped down from his side and walked past Roth.

"Should you be on guard duty?" Lara asked as she stepped off the last rung.

"I can still hold a gun, Lara," he said. "I'll be fine."

"I still think you should take it easy, Roth." What if someone attacked? He would be an easy target and wouldn't be able to fend off the intruders as efficiently.

"I can handle myself, Lara," he dismissed. "Besides, I still need to pull my weight. I can't afford to appear weak now."

Lara closed her eyes and sighed. The events of last few days were still clear in her mind. How Mathias had manipulated them all, and forced them to look like monsters in front of the whole camp.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked him quietly.

Roth looked around then leaned in close. "I'm trying to regain control over the supply runs instead of just letting Mathias handle them," he told her. "I'm also going to ask Howard to help Mathias in the infirmary."

"Is that it?" she asked, incredulous. "It's not enough!"

Her mentor sighed. "I'm trying Lara. I didn't realise people were so willing to listen to Mathias until last week. That's all I've thought of for now but this was clearly a battle he had been waging for a long time. It cannot be won in a single day."

"Unless we kill him."

"You know we can't do that, girl. It would only create more of a dictatorship, and no one would trust us. They already don't trust you."

Lara sighed. Her voice was more bitter than she had thought. "I know," she said.

Everyone was already suspicious of her before because of the first time she had shot a child. This little stunt only served to cement everyone's dislike for her.

"Everything will be fine," Roth said reassuringly. "I promise."

Lara laughed without humour. "Don't say that," she said. "That's a promise you don't know you can keep." She was tired of being disappointed by that word.

Her mentor's smile withered. "I'm sorry girl, I forgot. How about I say, 'Don't worry'?"

Lara smiled weakly. Roth was finally taking steps, but she worried about the extent of Mathias' influence. No one had protested when Mathias had executed that group - that was not a good sign. What if it was already too late?

"I hope things work out," she said solemnly.

It had been a week since Grim had died, and the resort seemed quieter because of it. The Scotsman brought a certain vivacity and passion to the group, and now that he was gone, Lara felt the urge to retreat into her own shell again.

What she was feeling must have been nothing compared to what Roth was feeling, though. The two had been friends for nearly their whole lives, and now he was gone.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Roth quietly. "About Grim, I mean."

Roth sighed and ran a hand through his white hair. He shrugged. "Still in mourning," he said, equally quiet. "I miss him. I'm glad the bastard that killed him is dead, even though Mathias was cruel going about it."

Lara nodded and stared at the floor. "I know how you feel."

 _Do not tell me you wouldn't do the same, Lara,_ was what Mathias had said to her at the execution. _I know you want them to suffer - to hurt, for killing Grim._

Was it horrible that some part of her wanted them to suffer more? What would she have done, if she found Grim's killers? Would she have given them a quick death? Or would she have beat them up prolonged the pain?

No. She was nothing like Mathias. She wouldn't do that.

"I'm…glad you're here, Lara," Roth said. Lara looked up in surprise. It wasn't often that Roth displayed sentiment to anyone. "I know this world isn't ideal, but I'm glad that you're safe."

Lara felt her eyes prickle and she smiled. That was probably the closest she was going to get to an 'I love you' from her mentor. "I'm glad you're here too, Roth," she said. She carefully embraced him, feeling his warmth ward off the coldness of the night.

This was nice…after Grim's death.

"Can I ask you something?" Roth asked.

"What is it?"

Roth pulled back and tried speaking, but closed his mouth again. He looked confused and awkward, as if he didn't know how to broach the subject. "You…have been spending a lot of time with Sam as of late," he began, shifting on his feet. "I'm not sure…but is there something going on between you two?"

Lara flushed immediately and shifted on her feet. "Umm…what?" She knew what he was talking about, but she didn't want to discuss it with him. Lara never really had 'the talk' with anyone and Roth had never been good at parenting issues.

"You know what I mean, Lara," he said.

Lara looked away and shrugged. "I don't know," she said, "Maybe."

She remembered back to after the execution, where Lara had immediately retreated to her cabin.

This was all fucked up, she thought. What had she done?

She sat down and looked at her hands. They were shaking.

Lara sat on her palms and breathed deeply, trying to slow her racing heart. She had killed a kid. A child. A little boy who was crying.

Lara had killed a kid before, but not like this. Not one that was unarmed, and sobbing for his life.

The first time was when a father and son had surrendered. It was on a supply run, and Brent the idiot hadn't frisked them properly. They were down on their knees, hands on their heads whilst Lara and the others were debating what to do with them.

She had seen the boy move as she was facing them whilst everyone else had their backs to them. His hand darted down to his ankle and Lara realised he held a gun there.

She did the first thing she thought of and shot the kid. Then she shot the father before he could react as she knew he would try to kill them.

In hindsight, she realised that she had been too trigger happy. Her attempts to explain herself to the others had only earned their incredulity, save for Alex and Jonah. And when they returned to the resort Brent's penchant for gossip had made her out to be a psychopath - one who wouldn't think twice about killing you.

She justified that death as self-defence at the time - everyone was a threat. But now, how could she justify this?

There was a knock on the door. Lara straightened and gripped her pistol.

"Hey, Lara, it's me." Sam.

Lara stood up and tentatively opened the door. She knew that Sam had seen the execution, seen what she had done. If she was here to scold her Lara didn't think she could take that.

But Sam didn't look mad. "Are you alright?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

Lara stepped back into her cabin and Sam followed her. "I don't know," Lara said, sitting down again.

Sam sat down next to her and hugged her. Lara stiffened, confused as to why she was being shown such affection but appreciating it too much to move.

"I know why you did it," Sam said into her shoulder.

"You do?" Lara asked.

"To save Roth from doing it. To salvage what was left of his reputation. It was brave, what you did."

Roth wasn't going to pull the trigger on the kid. She knew that as soon as he hesitated. But she couldn't let Roth appear weak. So, like the attack dog everyone thought she was, Lara took the bullet for him, or in this case, _fired_ it.

She laughed bitterly. "I don't feel brave." She felt like a murderer for the first time in years.

"But you were, to stand up to Mathias."

Sam was the only one who didn't really change after that. Even Alex and Jonah had become more wary, and that hurt her more than she cared to admit. She had come to rely more and more on Sam, and her act of loyalty only strengthened her feelings for her.

She smiled as she thought about how cute Sam was with that rabbit: the way she smiled, how her innocence shone in that encounter…she was absolutely adorable.

"Do you even know if she likes girls?" Roth asked, bringing her back to the present.

Lara sighed. "No," she answered, "I know she kissed a girl back in school, but I'm not sure if she's actually interested in them."

Lara wasn't unattractive, so people have told her, and there weren't many options in the resort. _Maybe_ she had a chance.

But… she knew how everyone saw her; as a cold, pragmatic bitch who could kill you if you rubbed her the wrong way. Sam made her feel different, more like the girl she was before all this happened. However Sam had also seen her stone heart when they first met, and there was no chance she would want to be with her after that.

"I think it'll be better if you didn't find out, Lara," Roth said. "Sam doesn't seem like the right person for you anyways."

Lara looked up and frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

Roth sighed. "I just mean that you shouldn't get too attached to her," he explained. "You know having feelings for someone is dangerous now. You'll get sloppy. You might end up risking your own life for them."

" _This_ ," Lara scowled, "coming from the person who is dating Reyes?"

Roth frowned. "That's different, Lara."

"How? It's also a ' _weakness'_ isn't it?"

" _Joslin_ can take care of herself."

"So can Sam!" She snapped.

Roth stared at her, half frowning, half pained. Lara looked away for a moment and took a deep breath. When she looked back, she was calmer, "Just say what you really mean, Roth."

Roth didn't move his eyes from Lara's. "Sam has been very lucky," he said quietly. "And she's been lucky because she's found others to take the fall for her."

Lara pressed her lips together. Roth sighed and continued in a gentler tone. "I don't want you to get hurt, Lara," he said. "Samantha has a good heart, but that girl is going to get you killed."

Lara frowned and looked away.

Roth didn't know what he was talking about. Sam could take care of herself - she had proven it over and over again. Lara was also teaching her more skills in her spare time, and she seemed to be growing more competent with each lesson.

What did he mean Sam was going to get her killed?

But then she remembered what Sam had said to her before; ' _Everyone I end up with ends up dying…'_

She hadn't really seen Sam react in actual danger had she? Lara had always been there with her and she had always taken the lead. Sam didn't seem intentionally manipulative, but what if the people around her died because she wasn't good enough?

"I'm…going to eat," she murmured, turning away. "Good night."

Roth didn't say anything more as she walked away. Lara put her hands in her pockets to keep them warm and walked to the dining area.

She didn't want to believe it, but her mind wouldn't stop thinking about it.

What if Sam did get her killed? What if it just happened one day because Sam couldn't hold her own?

Was Sam just using her because of this? Was their friendship just a form of protection?

No, that was foolish. Sam was her friend, in this life and the last, and she wouldn't do that to her.

Still, that didn't mean Sam would do well in this world. She had survived this long, but if she couldn't fight then she might not last any longer. She didn't want Sam to die and she didn't want to die because of her either.

Someone called to her as soon as she walked into the dining hall. "Lara!"

She looked up and saw that it was none other than Sam. She couldn't help but feel her heart lift when she saw her waving at her. She had been the rays of sunlight through the cloudy skies over these past few days. But then Roth's words echoed in her mind and the sky was dark once again.

Sam waved her over and Lara joined her at the back of the line. A few other people glanced at her suspiciously as if she was going to start a shootout. Everyone was talking in hushed whispers tonight, as it had been ever since the execution. The morality of their leaders was put into question, and people had begun reining in the amount of dependence they had on the camp.

Lara had never felt more vulnerable to a dagger in the back than now.

"So how was guard duty?" Sam asked, cheerful as always.

"Fine," Lara answered. She looked at the others who were already eating. It looked like they were having more fruit tonight; cherries and apples from the orchard.

Sam looked at her curiously. "Are you alright?" she asked. "You seem quiet tonight. Have you been sleeping well?"

Funnily enough, Lara hadn't. For the last few weeks she had been fine, but now her sleep had become restless again. On the rare occasion where she did fall asleep, she would sometimes hear sobbing in the background, and she would wake with a start.

Lara looked back at her. "I'm…fine," she lied.

It wasn't convincing, yet Sam went with it anyways with a sideways glance. "Okay..." she said slowly. "…So what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Hunting." An idea came to her and she stood straighter. "Do you want to come with me tomorrow?"

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"Every few days a few of us go hunting," she explained. "Roth usually accompanies me, but since he's unable to this time, I thought perhaps you could come."

"But I don't know how to hunt."

"Don't worry. I'll teach you." If Roth was correct about Sam's lack of skills, then Lara would make sure she could defend herself.

Sam looked uncertain. "Umm…sure. I guess it might be fun."

"Good," she said, breathing out in relief. "We'll leave after breakfast."

It didn't matter if Sam had feelings for her or not, she didn't want her friend to die.


	13. Prey

Thanks for all the reviews and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing, especially now uni has started again.

* * *

"When we get there, we usually check the rabbit traps and look for any deer tracks," Lara told Sam as they sat in the back of the pickup truck. "There are also ducks and other game birds out here, but those are harder to hit and you shouldn't take the shot unless you're certain."

Sam was fiddling with the hunting rifle nervously. She wasn't sure how many biters lurked in the woods, but the thought of using a rifle made her nervous now. "Wouldn't it be better if I had a silent weapon?" she asked. "Like your bow, or Nick's crossbow?"

"I'll teach you how to use the bow if you want me to," Lara said. She gazed at her intently, as if she were a teacher in school. "We only have one crossbow though, and since I already have a silent weapon we need to let them use it."

Sam nodded, a nervous energy in her stomach. This wasn't exactly how she planned to spend the day. She had wanted to take more pictures with Lara with her new Instax, but this was exciting too.

Besides, she was glad to be away from the resort. The tension there set her on edge and she would rather take her chances with the biters on the outside. At least biters were predictable - eat, shamble, kill - whilst humans could make most choices for the most illogical reasons.

"Hey, maybe if we have nothing to do after this, you could model for me," Sam said with a grin. "I still have a bit of film to go through."

"We'll see," Lara said, turning to look at the road behind them.

Sam frowned. She was expecting a bashful protest from her friend, but Lara had been serious all morning. She knew everything that had happened had been rough on her, especially the death of the child. Lara hadn't wanted to do it, but she had deemed it necessary and Sam could see where she was coming from.

She knew that Lara hadn't been sleeping well despite how she presented herself in public. Sam was worried about her, yet she didn't really know how to help.

They stopped at a shack which Sam thought was a hunting cabin. Lara jumped out and Sam followed her. Nick and Mary got out of the front and closed the door.

"We'll take everything on this side of the road," Nick told them, gesturing to the right. From what Sam knew, he and his wife were both Irish. "Hopefully we can catch a deer today."

Mary slung a rifle around her back. "See you guys in two hours," she smiled.

Lara and Sam bade them farewell. They tested their walkie talkies then headed off on their separate ways.

Sam followed Lara to the first set of traps. The rabbit traps were like cages with a trap door at the entrance. Three of them were crude looking, made from scavenged materials, whilst one seemed like a properly made trap.

Of the four traps, three of them had caught rabbits. They looked up at them nervously as they approached, retreating slightly back into their cages.

"These are the only live traps we have," Lara said, kneeling down next to one. "The others are all snares, built along rabbit runs."

She took out a pair of leather gloves from her belt and put them on. Then she opened the trap and pulled the rabbit out.

"How are you going to kill it?" Sam asked, watching her nervously.

"Like this." She put her hand around the rabbit's neck and broke it.

Sam flinched at the sharp _crack_. Seeing someone do that so casually was off-putting, and her fingers tingled at the thought that she would have to do it herself.

Lara tied a rope around the rabbit's feet and attached that to her belt. She took off her gloves and handed them to Sam. "Okay, your turn."

"Umm…" Sam took the gloves off her and put them on. "All…right," she said. She took a deep breath then walked over to one of the other traps. "So…what do I do?"

Lara knelt down next to her. "Get the rabbit out first," she instructed. "Be careful, they bite."

Sam opened the door and reached into the trap. The rabbit did try to bite her, but the gloves protected her hands. She pulled it out but it was struggling , making it difficult to keep hold of it.

"Grab its back legs," Lara said. Sam did as she was told. "Wrap your hand around its neck with your thumb on the back of the neck. When you have a good grip, pull the head up and the legs back as strongly as you can."

Sam did her best to ignore the warmth of the rabbit beneath her. She took a deep breath and pulled the rabbit apart.

There was a popping sound and the rabbit writhed under her. Sam swallowed as she realised that she might not have killed it straight away, and that now it was in tremendous pain. "Give it a few more tugs," Lara said, as if this was a simple task.

Sam swallowed and pulled on the rabbit again. After a few more seconds, it stilled and Sam placed it down gently. It wasn't long ago that she had been fawning over one - she still had the picture somewhere on her person. Yet now she had killed one.

"Good job," Lara said. She picked up the rabbit and tied it to the first one. "Do you want to kill the next one?"

Sam's hands were still tingling. "Yeah... I think I might become a vegetarian after this."

Lara rolled her eyes. "That would be stupid Sam."

"I was…joking Lara," Sam frowned, standing up. What was going on? Couldn't Lara recognise a simple joke? "What is going on with you? Why are you being like this?"

Lara scowled. "I'm not 'being like' anything," she defended.

"Yes you are. You've been serious all morning and you're acting cold again. Did something happen last night? You were quiet then too." That had to be the only explanation.

Lara sighed in exasperation and turned away. "Don't worry. I'll kill this one."

Sam caught her arm. "No, you don't get to do this," she said. Her voice softened as Lara turned and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

Lara sighed and gently pulled her arm free. "Roth made me realise something last night," she said. "You're not exactly cut out for this world and before I met you, you couldn't even stab a biter with a knife. I…" she grimaced. "I don't want you to die Sam. So if I'm being hard on you…that's why."

Heat rose to her cheeks at her admission. She had always been worried about her survival rate but to have her friend state it so bluntly was embarrassing. "You…might have a point," she admitted reluctantly. "I guess I've only survived this long-"

"Because of luck," Lara finished for her. "I know, you've said that. But your luck will run out soon and I just…don't want you to die."

Sam looked away and folded her arms. It was sweet that Lara worried about her so much, and it reminded her of all the times the teachers had told her to straighten up at school. Sam hadn't listened, obviously, but this time, it was life or death.

"Okay," she said, looking back at her. "I'll kill the next rabbit."

Sam went over to it and got it out of its cage. She ignored the guilty thoughts in her head and broke its neck with a quick tug. Then, she gave it to Lara who tied it to the string she had.

"I know it's hard," Lara said gently, handing the bundle of bunnies to her to carry. "But it gets easier."

Sam wiped her hands on her jeans. "So they say."

Lara showed her how to reset the traps and bait them with slices of apple they had obtained from the orchard. Then, they headed over to the next area.

The traps here were snares, and they were a lot more spread out than the live traps. There was only one rabbit caught here, and a few of the other snares had collapsed. The rain made it difficult for these traps, but there wasn't much they could do about it.

Sam killed the trapped rabbit here as well, and then Lara taught her how to tie the snares and set them up.

"You're learning quickly," Lara observed, as Sam finished setting up the final snare.

Sam winked at Lara. "Well, it helps that I have such a great teacher."

Lara blushed and cleared her throat. God she was fucking adorable when she did that. There was something about making such a hardass flustered that she loved.

"Hey," Lara whispered. She had stilled, and was looking at something to their right. "I saw a doe. Come on, let's go after it."

Sam followed Lara as she silently stalked the doe. She was deft on her feet whilst Sam ran behind her clumsily. If there was a doe nearby, she was sure she had scared it off.

"It's over there," Lara said, pulling them behind some bushes. These parts of the woodlands were relatively flat so they could see the doe easily. It was grazing on some grass, it's side to them.

Sam slung the hunting rifle off her back and checked the chamber. "Okay," Lara whispered. "Sit back, make sure you're stable. Look through the scope."

Sam closed an eye and looked through the scope with the other. The doe was chewing on the grass peacefully, oblivious to what was about to happen. It was cute, and Sam knew she was going to have a hard time killing it.

There were some animals that were difficult for her to kill - in fact, Sam was sure she had an easier time killing people. Animals were innocent and usually didn't try to harm her - this deer was just grazing harmlessly . Humans at least gave her a reason to want them dead.

"Aim just behind its front leg," Lara said quietly in her ear. "And about six inches above that. That's its heart and lungs."

Sam positioned the crosshair over what she thought was the correct spot. She tried to control her breathing so her hands would stop trembling so much.

"When you're ready, take the shot. But don't take too long."

Sam took several breaths and tried to steady her hands as much as she could. The deer walked slowly, moving to a new patch of grass. When Sam was sure she had it, she squeezed the trigger gently.

The doe squealed - a horrible, heart wrenching whimper - and stumbled for a moment before running off. Sam cursed and stood as she watched it gallop away. She was hoping it would drop dead instantly, but she was sure she had lost it now.

Lara stood and walked towards where the doe had been. "Don't worry, Sam," she said. "If you hit it in the right spot it should bleed out and shouldn't be too far away."

Sure enough, there was a trail of pinkish blood leading off into the woods. At the end of this trail was the doe, lying dead on the floor with blood pooling around its chest.

"Good shot," Lara said, examining the wound. "Not many people could hit it through the lungs on their first try."

Sam felt a twinge in her chest as she looked at the poor creature on the floor. "This is horrible," she said to Lara. "It's so cute. It's almost like I had to shoot you, Lara."

Lara blinked. "Did…you just compare me to a deer?" she asked.

Sam looked at her uncertainly. "It… was a cute one?"

"But you shot it anyways."

"Don't read too much into it, sweetie," Sam smiled innocently. She slung the rifle back on her back and looked at the doe. "So what do we do now?"

Lara held a button on her walkie talkie and spoke into it. "Nicholas, we killed a doe," she said.

" _Good job_ ," Nick said.

Lara released the button and knelt down next to the deer. "I'm just telling them what happened," Lara explained. "So they know it was us, and not someone dangerous."

She pulled out her knife and looked at the doe. "Now I need to field dress it," she said. "Then we can take it back to the truck."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Dress it?" she asked.

Lara smiled grimly. "Yes."

For the next half hour, Sam watched Lara gut and butcher the doe. Lara showed Sam what to do, and there was a point where she helped cut the membranes inside the chest cavity. Sam had to swallow her repulsion as more than once blood spilled onto her clothes.

"We try to use the heart and liver as well," Lara said as she pulled the organs out. "I know it's hard to eat offal, but if you put it in a stew you can't really taste it."

Sam looked away and took a deep breath to dispel the nauseousness building in her throat. _This is no different to the biters_ , she told herself. _No different._

"You look pale," Lara noticed, looking up at her. "Is this too much for you?"

Sam shook her head and forced a smile. "No, no it's fine," she lied. "Is…is there something I can still help with?"

Lara stood up, her disposable gloves bloody. "Why don't you go check on the last few rabbit traps?" she said. "They're about ten minutes that way."

"What about you?" Sam asked, secretly relieved.

"I'll finish up here and then bring this back to the truck. It's small, so it shouldn't be too hard to carry it."

"Are you sure?"

Lara smiled. "Yes," she said. "I'll see you soon."

Sam exhaled and walked off in the direction Lara pointed. She knew that she needed to get used to this gore, but it was still confronting.

This had been fun and interesting though. She was learning new skills and felt as if she were actually achieving something. It was also nice seeing Lara proud of her - someone who was usually so amazing by herself.

She arrived at the next area but found that these next traps had collapsed from the rain. Sam rolled her sleeves up and set them up again, but it was hard to discern the trails as the terrain had changed. She wasn't even sure there were any here, but she set them up anyways.

Sam heard a branch snap and she looked up from the snare she was tying. She couldn't see anything, but maybe it was another deer. If she could kill it, maybe Lara would be impressed again.

There was a loud growl behind her and Sam turned around. Two biters emerged from behind a boulder and ran towards her, snarling.

Sam backed away, panicking, and unhooked the rifle. She fired at them, hitting one in the chest first, then through the skull. By then the second biter was lunging at her.

Sam barely brought the rifle up in time to block a bite aimed at her face. The biter chewed on the rifle, its teeth uncomfortably close to her fingers. With a grunt, Sam shoved it back against the tree and put the barrel of the gun up against its chin.

 _BANG!_

The biter slid down the tree, leaving behind a splatter of dark red on the trunk.

There were more growls behind her and Sam was startled by how close they were. She swallowed then turned and ran. She ducked and weaved through the trees until she ran into more biters.

There were five, all heading towards her. She cursed then ran to her left, just missing a biter that reached for her shoulder.

God dammit. She would have to outrun them but she was barely keeping ahead of them, and her energy will only decrease as theirs remained virtually constant.

She yelped as her foot caught on something and she fell onto her face. Sam scrambled onto her knees but as she turned around a biter fell onto her.

"Help!" she yelled, as she struggled to get it off her. Her hand pushed against its forehead as it snapped at her. She had dropped her rifle somewhere, and she had no pistol on her. Behind this biter, she could see more of them about to fall on her.

Sam gritted her teeth and took one hand off the biter. She looked down at her belt and saw her knife. She grasped for it with difficulty as her other arm ached as it was pinned against her, but she finally managed to draw it. With a yell she stabbed the biter through the brain and shoved it off her quickly.

She scrambled back as more biters fell on her. She kicked them away and clambered onto her feet, running away again.

There was no way she could outrun these things, and there were a hundred other things she might trip on.

Sam spotted an overhanging ledge in front of her. There was a large tree at it's base which reached up to it.

Sam scrambled up the furrows in the tree and into the split in the trunk. There were heaps of biters all below her trying to claw at her feet. Sam was just out of range, but her best chance was to get up onto that ledge.

She saw another split above her and used the opposite trunk to help climb up to that one. She steadied herself in the V of the tree, and looked at another split above her. This one lead into a branch which swayed above the ledge. If she could get to it, she might be able to jump down onto the ledge.

Taking a deep breath, Sam gripped the trunk above her and jumped up, her feet scraping at the wood to get up. Her arms shook as she struggled to pull herself up. The damp wood made it hard to get a good grip, but eventually she managed to get a foot up on the crook and stand up.

Sam took a moment to catch her breath as she looked at the branch before her. It looked strong enough to hold her weight, but there was a wind which made it sway worryingly.

Below her, the biters were still clustered around the tree. If she fell, she would certainly fall into the welcoming crowd. Sam leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes. How in the world did she get herself into this mess?

She took a deep breath. Well, there was no use standing here.

After a strong gust of wind passed, she stepped out onto the branch, keeping low. She shuffled forward one step at a time, trying to remain focused on getting to safety rather than the drop below her.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she made it further down the branch, a light wind blowing her hair. Suddenly, the branch swayed violently. Sam yelped and gripped the branch, but her foot slipped and she had pitched over the side.

Her scream was cut short as her body hit the edge of the ledge.

Her legs hung freely in the air and Sam scrambled desperately for something, anything to pull herself up. By some miracle she managed to scramble up far enough that gravity wasn't pulling at her lower body. She crawled forward and got back on her feet, feeling her heart start beating again.

Sam turned around and looked down at the biters still at the bottom. She was safe for now, but she needed to find her way back to Lara as soon as possible. She had no gun, no food and no water, and had no idea how many biters there could be in this forest.

She walked away and felt her pocket for her walkie talkie. Her hands froze as her eyes landed on a bloody mark on her wrist.

It was a bite.

Sam stared at it, the air suddenly thick and suffocating. She touched the bite gingerly and recoiled when she felt grooves of her flesh, carved out by the biter's teeth. Suddenly, she felt light-headed.

How did this happen? How the _fuck_ did she get bit?

Sam thought back to the various times the biters had pinned her. It must have been during one of those times, one of those stupid instances where she let herself get into trouble.

A drop of water splashed on her nose and she looked up.

Great, now she had the rain and dying to worry about. She ran over to a large tree and sat beneath it, its leaves offering a rough shelter from the elements.

The bite wasn't deep - she had barely felt it before but now it was burning as if someone had pressed an iron to it. How long did she have?

She leaned her head back against the tree, breathing heavily. Her skin felt hot, though she knew it was freezing cold right now.

How long did she have? An hour? The militia killed everyone before they managed to turn, but she remembered a guy she had travelled with one. Lance…that was his name. He had been bitten when they were running from a group of biters.

It took maybe two hours for him to turn, and at that point Sam had shot him.

Two hours. She curled up into a ball as a sense of nausea overcame her. She would be dead in two hours.

It was bound to happen, she realised, her luck would run out just like Lara had said.

At the thought of the Brit Sam opened her eyes and felt for the walkie talkie in her pocket. She wanted to talk to her one last time, maybe have her here, holding her.

What would she say, though? Would Lara come for her when she knew?

Sam managed to snort to herself as she felt rain drops on her face. That was a stupid hope. Lara was smart - she wouldn't risk herself to see someone who was doomed.

The thought made her heart wrench.

Lara was something else. Sure, she had a tough, dark side, but she was also incredibly sweet and sensitive. That was something that hadn't changed since boarding school, and Sam wished more people could see that. She wasn't a bad person.

Lara was something special. She wasn't as bad or cold as everyone thought she was. Sam had seen the soft, caring and vulnerable side to her and it made her feel special that she was one of the few people that she was like that with.

In another life maybe, they could have been something more. They could have somewhere safe together, happy, and unafraid of everything else.

The fantasy was so vivid that she snorted. It could never happen. Despite the fact that she was dying, Lara would probably be dead before they could truly be together. Whenever she had dared to call someone 'friend', fate would choose sometime in the next week to kill them. It was too draining to allow herself to get attached, only for the IV to be ripped out of her arm over and over again. It was probably a good thing she couldn't inadvertently kill any more people with her existence.

Closing her eyes, Sam pushed the button on the walkie and spoke into it. "Lara, come in," she said. They should know, she thought. She told herself that it was because they shouldn't waste supplies trying to rescue her, but she really wanted to hear Lara's voice one last time.

There was silence. Sam held down the button again, "Hello?"

Silence.

"Fuck."

She looked at the walkie. It looked fine, but even changing the frequencies didn't elicit a response. It must have broken during one of her falls.

Sam threw the walkie away and pulled her hoodie over her ears. She could feel her fever burning and her consciousness slipping as the rain fell on her.


	14. Haunted

Thanks for all the reviews, especially all the regular reviewers who keep me going! And thanks to CosmicGunslinger for edits.

* * *

BANG!

Lara dropped the doe and looked up, a hand on her pistol.

BANG!

She stepped forward carefully, scanning the trees. There was a moment of silence.

BANG!

The shots had come from the direction of the last rabbit trap area. Lara pressed the button on her walkie talkie. "Sam?" she asked.

There was no response, just the fizzing of the radio.

She tried again. "Sam, are you there?"

" _Lara_?" Her heart skipped a beat before she realised that it was Mary. " _Was that you?"_

Lara looked around her. She was back at the truck and was trying to pull the deer into the back of the pickup. "No that wasn't me," she said. "I think it might have been Sam, but she's not responding. I'm going to investigate."

She jumped down from the truck and strode in the direction of the sound.

" _What about the deer?_ "

"I brought the doe and the rabbits back to the truck," she reported.

" _Okay. Stay safe and keep us updated."_

Lara ran towards the third trap area. She hoped that Sam was okay despite her not answering her walkie. She had great potential, she just needed to refine her skills.

She heard no more gunshots, but Sam still hadn't answered.

Lara arrived and saw the biters instantly. She jogged over to them as she regained her breath and examined the scene.

Sam had killed two biters here, who had probably interrupted her when she was setting up the snares. From the amount of footprints on the floor, it looked like there were a lot of biters after her.

Lara unhooked her bow and readied an arrow as she followed the trail. A moment later she came across another biter, and Sam's rifle near it. Lara bit her lower lip as she examined the corpse. This one was stabbed in the head.

Sam must have become overwhelmed here and had to stab them. She must have been in big trouble to drop her rifle.

"Sam?" She tried the walkie again. Still nothing.

Lara frowned and picked up the rifle before following the trail. Sam would be fine, right? She could take care of herself, she had seen that before. Sam had just promised to be better as well.

 _Gods, Sam, please don't die._

Thunder rumbled in the sky and rain started sprinkling down. Lara gritted her teeth and quickened her pace. She didn't want to be stranded out here during a storm.

"Sam!" she whispered. She wanted to scream, but that would just draw biters and she didn't need that right now.

She felt like she had been following the tracks for an hour. She had to backtrack once as she went the wrong way but picked up the correct one quickly.

She didn't know when, but she eventually spotted several biters wandering through the forest.

This must have been the group following Sam. She hid behind a tree and peered around the trunk. There looked like there were a lot and they were quite spread out. That meant that they weren't eating something, else they would be clustered around it.

Sam might have hid somewhere nearby, but she couldn't call out or look around safely with all these biters here.

Lara looked around for something to help her. She didn't have anything in her bag that could be of use. Throwing a rock somewhere would only distract one of them at best.

Lara looked around again and saw that the biters were wandering around a large tree, some moving towards her. If one did find her she might draw the attention of the others, and then she would have to run.

She checked that the coast was clear and then ducked to the trees back where she had come. "Nick, Mary, do you read me?" she whispered into her walkie talkie.

A pause. Then the walkie crackled to life. " _Copy. What's happening?_ "

"I need you to fire a gunshot," she said. "And then head back to the truck."

" _May I ask why?_ "

Lara looked back around to see if she had drawn any biters. "There's a few biters here. I need them lured away so I can search for Sam."

There was a long pause. Lara hoped they were finishing whatever they needed to do instead of arguing over her plan. She wanted to radio in again, and ask them if they had heard her, when she heard the growls of biters behind her.

Lara caught her breath and unclipped her axe. This wasn't going to end well if they saw her.

Suddenly there were two gunshots to the west. Lara remained still as she heard the biters change direction and head towards the noise. She relaxed slightly and a moment later Nick spoke again.

" _Whatever you're going to do, I hope you do it quickly_ ," he said. " _We'll radio you when we get back to the truck."_

Lara peered around to check that there were no more biters and then ducked out of cover. Sam might have hidden somewhere here if she was being chased.

She waited until the biters on were out of sight and then started calling out. "Sam!" she said. "It's safe!"

There was no response.

Lara gritted her teeth and started searching the area. She looked behind rocks, trees, in a ditch nearby; there was no sign of her, not even a torn piece of clothing.

 _Where are you, Sam?_ She thought. The longer this dragged on, the more likely something could happen to her.

" _Lara, have you found her_?" Mary radioed in.

Lara sighed and rubbed her face. _I've no clue where she is._

She pressed the button. "No," she said.

" _Well we need to go back and store the meat properly. You need to head back here."_

Lara pinched the bridge of her nose. "We can't," she growled. "I still haven't found Sam. You need to stay there in case she turns up."

" _We can't. The meat will go off if we do. It's at least another half an hour back to the resort."_

"Well we can't leave her out here!" Lara exclaimed. "What if she's in trouble? She's part of our group now and we need to watch out for each other."

Nick responded this time. " _There's_ nothing _you can do, Lara,"_ he said, sounding irritated. " _Just leave her. It was bound to happen anyways and you know it. If she's able to, she'll find her own way back."_

Lara clenched her fist. She wanted to punch something. If it was anyone else, she doubted they would be like this.

She took several deep breaths to calm herself before speaking again. "Head back then. I'm going to stay here to search for her. I'll radio in when I find her."

" _Fine._ "

Lara released the button and looked around. "You'd better be alive, Sam," she said.

There were a few footprints left by the biters in the ground. She drew her bow and followed them back to an overhanging ledge reaching a few meters above her. The footprints ended here, but Sam was nowhere in this area.

Lara sat down on the root of a large tree and had a drink of water.

Dammit, where was she? Why did she leave her alone? Was it a mistake to bring her along in the first place?

This search was going too slow. She hated that she needed to move slowly so as to not attract attention, and that she couldn't call out either. If only Nick and Mary would come and help her then they could probably find Sam a lot quicker.

She ran her hand over her face. She hoped that Sam was alright. She didn't know what she would do if she accidently got her killed. It would have been the second innocent life she had taken only this week. Sam was practically the only friend she had left and she couldn't afford to lose her.

The sprinkle had now progressed to rain, and her leather jacket was starting to soak through. If it was raining then Sam would probably seek shelter, right?

Lara took a deep breath and then stood up. She marched on.

The overhanging ledge seemed like a good place to take shelter from the rain, but perhaps not the biters. Lara walked under it when she could, keeping an eye out for any crevices or places where one could hide. She kept calling out softly to Sam, hoping there would be some response, but there was nothing.

Eventually she reached a place where the ledge led into a slope. Lara climbed up it carefully and reached the top only a little muddy. The rain had now soaked through her clothes and she could feel the cold all the way to her bones.

She continued searching the area, calling out softly while the day became darker and darker. She couldn't tell with the clouds, but she guessed it had to be almost afternoon. If she couldn't find Sam soon, she was going to freeze to death out here.

She didn't know how long she had been searching for; her feet ached, she was hungry, and every part of her body felt like ice.

She trampled along in the muddy forest, and when she looked up, she saw a figure under a tree.

"Sam?" she said, approaching the figure carefully.

The figure stirred and Lara walked closer. As she came closer, she realised that this was indeed her friend.

"Sam!" She rushed over to her and shook her desperately. She was wet, and water had pooled in the crevices of her clothes.

Sam stirred and slowly opened her eyes. "Lara?" she asked, frowning at her.

"Yes, it's me Sam," she said. However Sam wasn't looking at her. She was looking around and feeling her arms and face.

"I'm not dead," she muttered, so quietly that Lara could barely hear it. "I'm not dead."

"What?" Lara cupped her friend's face and forced her to look at her. Her skin was cold and wet. "It's okay. I'm here. You're safe now."

Sam stared at her like a deer in headlights. She licked her lips. "Please…don't freak out Lara…but I was bit."

Lara frowned. Did she hear right? Surely she didn't mean…

Sam pulled up her sleeve and revealed a red bite on her wrist. Lara stilled and stopped breathing.

"I…I don't know how long ago it happened, but I got bit when I tried to run from the biters." She sat up against the tree. "When I realised what happened I just sat here because I knew that I couldn't go back. But…I'm not dead." She looked at the bite as if she couldn't believe it.

 _Lara_ couldn't believe it. That was definitely a bite yet Sam was still here. "You've been missing for about five hours," she said, standing up. "If you've been bit for that long why haven't you turned yet?!" People usually turned within the hour.

"I don't know?!" Sam stood up as well. "I feel fine now! I thought I was going to turn before because I started feeling feverish and sick...maybe I'm immune?"

Lara rubbed her face. This was impossible. No one was immune. Maybe she got bit by an animal instead of a biter?

That was also stupid, she realised. Sam would know what bit her.

"Lara?" Sam asked tentatively. "…Can you say something?"

Lara looked up at her, water dripping from her clothes. Her hand automatically drew her gun before she could think about it. "You're bit," she said, her fingers itching. "You're going to turn."

Sam swallowed and took a step back from her."Lara, just...think about this alright? If I would have turned it would have happened already."

"We don't know what this is."

"I don't know either but I know I'm not going to turn!" Sam exclaimed.

"And what if you _do_ turn later? You'll put the whole camp at risk."

"Lara please," Sam pleaded. "I'm fine. I'm not going to turn."

"You don't know that!" she snapped. She realised she had been gripping her gun and forced herself to loosen her grip. "You don't know that," she repeated, quieter.

"So what are you going to do then?" Sam asked, staring at her despondently. "Kill me?"

Lara closed her eyes. Despite the gun in her hand, she wasn't going to kill Sam, not when she wasn't at an immediate risk of turning. But bringing her back to the resort could put the rest of the group in danger if she did end up turning. If Mathias found out about this as well, then Sam would be in great danger.

She sighed and looked at her friend. She couldn't leave her out here. In spite of her feelings for her, Sam was her _friend_ and she could end up dying out here.

She hated this. She hated that Roth had been right; Sam, for all her naiveté, would be the death of her.

Lara turned away and held down the button on the walkie talkie on her shoulder. "Lara to resort, does anybody read me?" she said. The rain was steady and she was freezing, though she didn't know if it was from this revelation or the weather.

Lara didn't think anyone was going to respond when she heard Roth's voice. " _Lara, what's happened? Are you alright?"_

"I'm fine," she said. "And I've found Sam. I need someone to come get us from the hunting cabin."

" _I'll send Alex now in the hybrid. What happened?"_

Lara hesitated. She couldn't tell Roth the truth. He thought Sam was a liability already and he would probably tell Mathias if he knew. "I'll…explain later. We'll head over there now."

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

Lara didn't look at her. They needed to focus on getting back to the cabin before dark. "We're heading back," she said, already moving. "Let's go."


	15. Mistakes

Once again, thanks for all the reviews! I've bumped the rating up to M as I've realised this story might be a little too violent.

Thanks for CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

 **Trigger warning for sexual assault. You may want to skip the middle part of this chapter if you're affected.**

"Here's what's going to happen," Lara said as they walked back to the hunting cabin. "When we get back, you're going to stay in your cabin. You don't leave for any reason and if people ask you what's wrong, say that you're sick. If you need something, I'll get it for you, just don't leave. No one can find out about this. Do you understand?"

Sam watched her walk onwards helplessly. It was so cold, and Lara was even colder. "Lara-"

"Do. You. Understand?" Lara repeated, spinning around to face her with blazing eyes.

Sam swallowed. "Yes," she muttered.

Lara turned back around. "Good."

Sam looked down and followed Lara miserably.

These past few hours had been intense. She had been certain she was going to die and had lain down and accepted that. She had been _bit_ goddammit- no one survived from that.

But then Lara had found her, alive and well.

She couldn't believe she was alive, that she hadn't turned into one of _them_. It wasn't possible, yet here she was.

She couldn't believe Lara had come for her either. It had been hard to dissociate herself from the hope that she would, but she had done it. And then she actually came, and she had woken to the sight of her beautiful face, eyes downturned in concern.

She couldn't have been happier to be alive.

But then Lara had found out what had happened. She had frozen, and Sam had seen her harden before her own eyes. Lara hadn't spoken for a while, but when she did, her voice was laced with anger and coldness.

Sam understood her concern but she had bypassed the usual infection period. She wasn't going to turn and it frustrated her that Lara wouldn't believe her. Instead, she had reverted to the reserved and distant person that she was to everyone else.

"Keep your sleeve down," Lara added. "Don't let anyone see it."

Sam's sleeve was already down. The rain had washed away the blood, so unless they saw it, no one would know. "Fine," she answered.

Up ahead, they could see the headlights of the hybrid. Lara and Sam rushed over to it and ducked in - with Sam in the back of course.

"Hey, glad to see you guys," Alex said, reversing back along the trail. "We were all worried about you. What happened?"

"Sam got lost," Lara answered for her. "She went after a deer and then her walkie broke after falling."

"Ouch. Are you guys alright?"

Sam opened her mouth to speak but Lara beat her to it. "We're fine. Thanks for the concern."

Great. Now Lara didn't even trust her to speak for herself? What, did she think she was going to infect them through talking?

Sam remained quiet for the rest of the ride home as she had a feeling that Lara wouldn't appreciate it if she spoke. Instead, Lara filled the silence by speaking more than usual to Alex, an act Sam wasn't sure how Alex didn't find suspicious. She just leaned back against the headrest, still feeling a bit nauseous from the bite.

When they got back, Lara intercepted her as she got out of the car. "Go to your cabin," she reminded her. "And stay there. I'll come see you soon." She turned and walked away.

Sam wasn't going to forget that Lara would probably kill her if she didn't. She nodded mutely and headed towards her place.

She passed by the dining area as she made her way back and saw that everyone was in there. The heavenly scent of a rich stew filled her nostrils and her mouth started watering. They must have been cooking up that doe and the rabbit they had caught today.

The thought of a warm meal made her stomach rumble, and yet, she continued walking to her cabin like Lara told her.

Although she and Will had come here together, they had received separate cabins. Frankly, Sam was happy with that arrangement as she didn't want Will to get too touchy feely with her.

She was also thankful that her new cabin had a fireplace to provide heat during winter. However, the collection of firewood was each individual's responsibility and unfortunately for Sam, she had forgotten to chop some extra fuel due to the rain over the past few days.

"Fuck," she cursed. She went over to her single bed and stripped off her damp clothes, quickly changing into a dry new set. It was warmer, but not near warm enough for tonight. The last few days had been colder than usual and she wasn't looking forward to staying here tonight with no heating.

She would have to ask Lara for more firewood whenever she decided to come around. She was hungry and thirsty as well, and she had drunk all her water on the way back.

With nothing left to do, Sam wrapped herself up in her blanket and stared at her bite.

It was dark red and crusted over. She could see the impression of teeth on her outer wrist and looked away from the sight, swallowing down the feeling of bile in her throat.

She had been so close to dying. So close. But now that she was still alive, she wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a curse with the way Lara was treating her.

There wasn't much she could do, and thinking in circles would only drive her crazy. She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep, hoping it would make her feel better.

But it was no use. Sam kept tossing and turning, too cold and restless to stay in one position for long. Eventually she gave up and sat up in her bed, feeling restless and hungry.

How long had Lara been gone? When the fuck was she going to come? Had she forgotten about her or was she just staying away, hoping she would turn?

"God dammit Lara," she cursed.

She wanted a friend here. She wanted _Lara_ here, with her, holding her in her arms and telling her that she'll be alright.

She had just survived a near death experience, for god's sake. She thought she was going to die, to lose the battle she had been fighting for five years. There were many times when she thought she was going to die in the past - close encounters with humans or biters - yet they were nothing compared to this.

But by some miracle, she had won. She had come out of the endeavour alive, and instead of celebrating her victory, Lara was shunning her. Wasn't she glad to see her alive?

Well Sam wasn't infected. And she wasn't going to let Lara tell her what to do. She was hungry and freezing, and she had no idea when her supposed _guardian_ was meant to be back.

Making sure her sleeve was down, Sam walked out the cabin, heading towards the firewood place. It had stopped raining for now, but there were still clouds in the sky, the threat of a storm tonight still present.

She looked around anxiously, afraid that Lara would see her and yell at her again. The thought that Lara would be disappointed in her hurt, but she wasn't going to freeze to death. She wondered what she was doing now, and then realised that she probably didn't care about her.

When she got to the place, there was someone there already.

Will placed a log on the tree stump. Sam watched him swing the axe, splitting a log in two, before walking up to him.

"Gathering firewood?" she asked him. Ever since the execution days ago, they had stopped speaking. Will didn't understand why Sam would defend Lara after she blasé killed a child, while Sam didn't understand why Will would stand by Mathias when he had ordered the execution in the first place.

Will looked up at her. "Yeah, well I was about to run out," he said. He placed another log on the stump . "We heard that you were missing. I'm glad you're safe."

Sam smiled. For the show off that he was Will did care about her in his own way. "I got lost," Sam said, sticking to the story Lara made for her. "But Lara found me and everything's all good."

Will nodded and swung the axe again. This time, it didn't split the whole way through and the axe remained stuck in the log.

"I thought you'd be eating," Sam noticed.

"I finished," he grunted, swinging the axe and log down again. "I wanted to do this before dark. Are you here to get more firewood?"

Sam walked up to him. "Yeah, I forgot to restock so my place is colder than an igloo right now."

Will picked up the logs he had split. "If you're cold you can spend tonight with me," he offered casually. "You can save the wood chopping for tomorrow when it's not raining."

Sam knew that this was another ploy to get into her pants. He wasn't even subtle about it actually. She hadn't slept with Will since they came to the resort and he must have been desperate for some action that wasn't his hand.

Yet despite knowing this she found the idea oddly appealing. It would be nice to be with someone right now, even if they were in it for a totally different reason to hers.

"Sure," she said, smiling.

"Really?" Will said, surprised. He instantly cleared his throat and returned to his indifference. "I mean that's cool. Do you want to head there now?"

Sam shrugged. "Whatever."

Will grinned and they headed back to the cabins. Sam helped him carry his firewood as they talked about how bad the weather was. When they got there, she knelt down next to the fire place to start the fire while Will walked around looking for something.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "Here it is."

Sam glanced back and saw that he was holding a bottle of Jack Daniels. "Whiskey?" she asked, feeding a few more twigs into the small fire. "Really?"

"Hey, it helps with all of this," he defended. "Want a glass?"

Sam couldn't see the harm it could do. "Why not? Where'd you get it anyways?"

"On the runs we do," he said, walking to the dresser near her. "Sometimes we get lucky."

"Most of the time you mean." Vlad and his group always came back with something good, whether it be food, medicine, or even rarer, ammo. Even the other runners - Lara's group - couldn't match them.

"Yeah, we've been blessed." He poured a bit into another glass. "Don't tell Lara though. It's the only thing getting me through the day."

Sam noticed that her bite was partly showing and quickly pulled her sleeve down. "Don't worry," she said, throwing a larger log into the fire. "I won't be telling her anything."

"Oh ho, trouble in paradise?" Will joked, leaning against the table.

Sam rolled her eyes. "It's not like that." She stood and accepted the glass he offered her. It was a small amount so she doubted she would get drunk, but the placebo would be enough to make her forget. "But let's not talk about her," she said, raising her glass. "To old friends."

Will clinked her glass against hers. "To us," he said, draining the alcohol in one go while Sam did the same. It carved a burning track down her throat and into her chest, and she couldn't help but cough.

Will laughed good-naturedly at her and took a step forward, putting down the glass behind her on the table. "And yes," he whispered, leaning in close. "Let's not talk about her." Her caught her mouth in a kiss.

Sam stood there, eyes open as he kissed her. It had been a few months yes, but this felt…weird. She had felt some attraction to Will before, but right now, in this moment, there was none of that.

His chin was stubbly, itchy, and his length pressing into her thigh made her nervous.

She pulled away, pushing him away slightly with a hand on his chest. "You taste like whiskey," she commented.

Will grinned. "Want to see what else I taste like?" He reached between them and began unzipping his trousers.

Sam suddenly wanted to step away, but there was no room. Will had her trapped against the table. "Will…maybe this wasn't the best idea," she said hurriedly.

Will dropped his trousers and stepped out of them. He was still grinning. "Why suddenly shy, Sam?" he asked, leaning back in. "It's nothing new." He tried to kiss her again.

Sam turned away and felt his stubble brush roughly against her cheek. "Will, _no,_ " she said again. "I don't want to do this anymore."

Will didn't seem to care, instead moving onto her neck. "I know you don't mean that Sammy," he whispered. He gripped her wrists as she lifted her hands to push him away and pinned them on the table.

"Will!" Sam yelled, trying to free her hands. "Stop!" She tried to push him away with his body but he was stronger than her.

Will lifted her up onto the table and reached around for the button on her jeans. Panic started to fill her throat. She had never been in a situation like this before. What the fuck was she supposed to do? Why wouldn't he stop?

"Come on, Sam," Will whispered, and Sam felt shivers run down her spine. She tried pushing him away but he didn't budge. "You know you want this."

"Will stop!" she screamed, pounding at his chest. His hands managed to unbutton her jeans. "Will I'm bit!"

He froze and looked at her incredulously. "You're shitting me," he said, but he had stepped away from her.

Sam pulled up her sleeve and showed him the red bite. "It was today," she explained quickly, pulling it back down. "I got bit, that's why Lara had to come find me."

Will was backing away from her. "Why didn't you tell me?!" he exclaimed. "You could have bitten me!"

Sam was painfully aware that people might be hearing them right now. "Look just calm down okay?" she said. "This happened ages ago and I haven't turned yet. I'm immune."

Will blinked at her. "You're immune?" he asked, thankfully quieter. "How?"

"I don't know okay? I just know that I am."

Will ran his hands through his hair and turned away. "I need some time to digest this," he said.

Sam swallowed the lump in her throat. "Okay. Just…please, don't tell anybody about this. Everyone else will probably kill me if they found out."

Will said nothing.

Sam buttoned up her trousers and left his cabin. She hugged herself and headed back to her own cabin, head bowed.

She could still feel Will's hands on her, all over her skin and it made her shiver. He had never done that before - though she hadn't refused him until now. Even so, she had thought he was decent enough to stop when she actually said _stop._ There was no doubt that he would have gone all the way if she hadn't told him she was bit.

Oh fuck, now someone else knew about the bite. Will hadn't said that he wouldn't tell anyone, and she didn't trust him anymore. But her fate was in his hands, and she hoped that there was at least a shred of humanity left in him.

Sam looked up and spotted Lara walking around. She looked pissed, and Sam had a good idea why she was.

Since she was so close to her own cabin, she quickly ducked towards it, hoping Lara wouldn't see her.

"Sam!"

Sam closed her eyes, a hand on the door handle. Of course she would see her. She probably bought it on herself anyways.

Lara marched up behind her. "I thought I told you to _stay_ in your room," she hissed.

Sam turned around and opened her eyes. "Lara, I know-"

"I don't think you do, else you wouldn't be out here," she interrupted. "Where have you been?"

Sam looked down and folded her arms again. She couldn't face Lara's disappointment. Not now. "I just…went for a walk," she whispered.

Lara narrowed her eyes. "A walk?" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine," she snapped. She opened her cabin door behind her and pushed her in. "Stay here, and don't leave until I tell you to. Do you hear me?"

"Yes," Sam whispered. She had to tell Lara that Will knew, but Lara was mad enough at her already.

Lara frowned. "There's some food on the dresser," she said. "I've managed to convince Roth to let you off your jobs for tomorrow. I'll see you then."

She had to tell her.

"Lara." Sam said, turning around.

Lara glanced back. "What?"

Sam licked her lips and looked to the side, unable to meet her gaze. "Will knows," she said quietly.

Lara frowned and narrowed her eyes, watching her carefully. "How?" she asked, her voice sharpening.

Sam opened her mouth but closed it. There was no way she could tell Lara what she had been doing. She would probably think it was her fault. "…Does it matter?" she said, "He knows now."

Lara closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She could practically feel her disappointment. "Is he going to tell anyone?" she asked, opening her eyes again.

"I…don't know," she admitted, sitting on the bed. She stared at her hands. "I asked him not to, but I don't know."

Lara sighed again and ran a hand over her face. "I'll make sure he doesn't."

Sam looked up. "Lara," she said quietly. She wasn't sure if Lara heard her, but she raised her eyes to her again. "Can you just…?" she hesitated, unsure if Lara would even listen. "…Why are you being like this?" she asked quietly. "I'm…I know I'm bit but I'm still me, you know?"

Lara dropped her hand and watched her, her eyes softening.

"I'm really sorry that I've put you in this position but…" she trailed off, not sure how to articulate her feelings.

Lara sat down next to her. "I know you're still you," she said quietly, all edges in her voice gone.

"Then why are you being like this?" Her voice cracked towards the end and she looked down.

Lara pressed her lips together. "Because I'm still trying to get my head around this…how it's possible, or if it's even real. I…I don't want you to die, Sam."

"I don't want to die either," she said, "And until now I didn't think you cared."

"Of course I care!" Lara exclaimed. "It's why I've been so strict. I'm sorry that I might have been too harsh but I just want you to be safe." She put an arm around her and when she breathed in, Sam could feel it in her chest.

"I really hope you are immune, Sam," Lara continued, "and that this isn't just a delayed reaction. But if Mathias finds out about this he's going to want to experiment on you."

Sam tensed. "What?"

Lara sighed. "A few months ago, we found out that Mathias was performing experiments on biters. He had a head kept in his house and there were rats and rabbits that he was experimenting on. Roth made him stop if he wanted to stay here, but he's still convinced there's the a cure out there. And if you're immune, he's going to think that you're it."

Sam didn't know what to say. On one hand she didn't want to be dissected but if she held the key to stopping this fucking virus then maybe she should help. "Maybe I should tell him then," she murmured.

Lara shook her head sternly. "No. There's no guarantee of a cure, and he will do god knows what to you until he finds one. I've seen his experiments before and those were on _animals._ I don't want that sort of thing to happen to you. That's why it was important that you didn't tell anybody."

Sam looked down. Lara had really been worried about her. "Why didn't you tell me this?" It would have saved her a lot of doubt before.

"I…don't know," she said ashamedly. "I guess I was too distracted with everything. I'm sorry."

Lara hugged her again and Sam hugged back tightly, burying her nose in the crook of her neck. She could feel Lara's arms encircling her waist and her hand resting gently on her hip.

She closed her eyes. When she wanted to be, Lara was so gentle and so warm. She was strong, and every time she was with her she always felt safe. This was what she needed- what she _wanted_ from Lara.

Lara pulled back and Sam opened her eyes. She watched Lara as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her lips, so close to hers.

It would have been so easy to just… lean forward and…

"I'm going to go reheat your food," Lara said, standing up. Sam blinked and watched her walk over to the desk. "But I'll be back soon. I promise. I also brought some gauze and disinfectant." She nodded at the supplies next to her. "You should wrap the bite up. It will prevent further infections and disguise it from the others."

Sam could barely think. What had she just been about to do? "Umm okay."

Lara smiled warmly and sent butterflies beating in her stomach. "Be right back."


	16. Run Alone

Thanks for all the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing this. This chapter is sort of inspired by the song 'Run Alone' by 360.

I also apologise if the Russian translation is bad as I got it off the internet.

* * *

No one suspected anything about Sam. She stayed in her room for the first day, while Lara brought her food and kept her company. She even brought her one of her favourite books - Whitman's World: Feudal Japan - for her to read. She knew Sam wasn't into history but it was at least something.

"It's healing," Sam said on the second day, showing her the bite. "Look, there was a scratch here before but now it's just a scar."

Lara had no idea what she was talking about. There was a fading mark where Sam was pointing but she hadn't studied it enough that she could see a change.

Still, Sam didn't seem to be getting worse, so it would be safe for her to be outside again. And the longer Sam spent inside the more people would become suspicious so it was a good idea to let her out.

"Try acting like you have a cold," Lara reminded her. "That's what I told everyone."

Meanwhile, Lara was helping Roth regain control of the camp. The situation had plateaued, though Lara had a feeling that was due to Mathias' choice and not because of their actions.

It proved harder than she thought as Mathias would not relent his control easily. He had only agreed to let Howard on after much protesting and arguing. Vladimir's group were still the best runners and they always reported to Mathias. People would still take orders from Roth, yet there were more protests and 'But Mathias said…'.

It hurt them that Grimm wasn't here anymore. People liked him, and his affability offset the seriousness that she, Roth and Reyes presented. She couldn't entirely gauge the thoughts of the rest of the group, but she had a feeling that when it came down to it, people would be turning to Mathias for guidance.

This stress she felt was abated only slightly by Will's silence. Lara had waited for him outside his door the morning after Sam was bit. She was standing against the side of the cabin, out of plain sight.

When she heard the door open she rounded the corner and shoved Will back into his house.

"Hey! What the fuck?!" he yelled, stumbling back inside.

Lara closed the door behind her and glared at him. "You know about Sam," she said.

Will took a step back but frowned. "She told me, okay?" he defended. He looked down for a moment. "Is…is she actually immune?"

Lara frowned. Why would Sam voluntarily tell him?

It didn't matter, she decided quickly. If Will thought that Sam had a chance of turning then he might tell someone. "Yes she's immune," she said. "But you still can't tell anyone."

Will nodded and folded his arms nervously. "You don't need to worry…I-I won't tell anyone."

"Good." She stepped closer to him until he was backed against the bed. Her fingers were itching to wrap themselves around his throat, or grab her knife and slice a clean line through it. "Because if you do, I'll make sure that's the last thing you'll ever say."

Will swallowed and nodded again, eyes wide. He was a coward, and he would throw people under the bus if it would save himself. She had to make sure it wasn't Sam who took the fall.

"Be careful, William," she said, then left his cabin.

After this long week, Lara just wanted to lie down and sleep. She headed back to her cabin after feeding Arion, tired from helping Jonah all day with the gardens.

Up ahead, Vladimir was hanging out with his brothers. Lara stepped away from them, not wanting to deal with their bullshit today, but of course, life wouldn't be nice to her.

"Laraaa," he exclaimed, running up to her. She could practically hear the smugness in his voice. " _Pokazhi pizdu detka_!"

Lara gritted her teeth and kept walking. Her Russian wasn't good but ignoring someone was the international sign for 'piss off', right?

"Don't want to talk?" he asked. He stepped in front of her so she was blocked.

Lara clenched her jaw and glared at him. "What do you want?" she asked.

Vladimir shrugged and spun a revolver in his fingers. "We found many things in Bath. More medicine, food and even some silencers. What have you found?"

"This isn't a competition, Vladimir." Even as she said those words, she couldn't help the bitterness that seeped into her voice. Lara's runners could barely find anything on their runs whilst Vladimir and his assholes seemed to have the Midas touch.

"You right," he smiled, twirling the gun. "It's not even close."

Lara sighed, exasperated. "You're good at runs whilst I'm good at hunting. It works like that."

Vladimir cocked his head. His smile made her want to wipe it off with a fist. "We found many good things, want to see?"

"No." She stepped around him but he caught her arm.

Lara jerked her arm free and was about to punch him when Vladimir put the revolver to her chest. She stepped back and glared at him as he pushed the barrel deeper into her chest.

Vladimir smiled. "No?" he asked.

Lara lowered her arm and held his stare. His eyes glinted wickedly and the gun was cold against her skin.

This was a bluff, she thought, but her heart still thumped in her chest. He wouldn't actually kill her, not here. She glared at him, keeping her breathing quiet. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of backing off.

He pulled the trigger.

Lara flinched at the _click_. Vladimir laughed and stepped back, opening the chamber to show her that it was empty.

"I win," he said, and then walked back to his brothers. They all laughed and slapped Vladimir on his back.

Lara growled in disgust and stormed back to her cabin. Assholes. Usually she could ignore them, but sometimes they were really asking to be hit.

She took a deep breath, calming herself. She would try to forget about this, lest it sour her mood for the whole night.

There was someone standing at her door. "Sam," Lara greeted, unsurprised by her presence. Sam had been hanging out with her increasingly throughout this week. It wasn't unwelcome, but she did wonder why she would do it. "Are you alright?"

Sam smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I didn't see you at dinner though, what happened to you?"

"I had it early." She opened the door and walked in. "I needed to go feed Arion." She hesitated, before adding, "Did you miss me?"

Sam closed the door behind her and snorted. "Did I miss your snide ass? How could I?"

Lara lay down on the couch, closing her eyes. The relief was imminent and she sighed in content. Now if she could just go to sleep like this…

Sam cleared her throat above her. Lara opened an eye and saw Sam gesture with her head, "Come on, schooch," she said.

Lara wasn't bothered to move from her comfortable position. Instead, she lifted her head and Sam sat under it. Lara let her head drop into her lap and closed her eyes again.

"How was your day?" she asked.

Lara opened one eye and stared at Sam. She was beautiful from this angle, and she just wanted to reach up and stroke her cheek. Maybe she would lean down and slowly capture her lips in hers too.

Lara shook that fantasy away. That was never going to happen, and it was dangerous thinking about it when Sam was right here. "It was tiring," she replied. "Vladimir and his brothers were being assholes before."

"Are you alright? They weren't giving you too much trouble right?"

Lara frowned. "Nothing I couldn't handle." She couldn't help thinking about the camp and how she couldn't just kill Mathias outright. "I hate this, all this dancing around with the politics. Roth's trying but I think it's already too late."

Sam sighed and sat in silence for a moment, stroking her hair. Her left wrist was still bandaged, clean, and visible as her sleeve was pulled up.

It was calming, feeling fingers run through the strands of her hair, yet her thoughts continued to turn dark.

This was going to end in violence, Lara thought. She had a feeling in her gut. She didn't know what to do, though. Mathias was taking over and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Hey, sit up," Sam said.

"What? Why?" Lara asked.

"Come on, just sit up."

Lara sighed and did as Sam asked. Sam scooted forwards and put two hands on her shoulders, starting to massage them. Her fingers dug into her muscles in just the right places that she begun to relax.

"Things will be fine, Lara," Sam said quietly. "You'll see."

"I'm not so sure…" She closed her eyes and leaned into Sam's touch, feeling her muscles unknot. She had never had a proper massage before, but this was amazing. She could use one of these at the end of each day.

"Remember when we talked about running away?" Sam asked, her fingers still working their magic. "Back in our dorm room, at school."

Lara smiled at the thought. Sam had wanted to run away to Rome or somewhere nice in Italy. It was somewhere she hadn't been yet, and not tainted by her father's influence. Sam would have liked the food, the weather and the boys - much to Lara's chagrin - and Lara would have loved the history and culture of the place.

"I don't think we can make it to Rome now," she said.

"Yeah but I think I'd like to find a cabin in the mountains maybe. Somewhere up high, away from ... all this."

Lara chuckled. It was always amusing to entertain in Sam's fantasies. "We could grow our own carrots and potatoes," she suggested, "Perhaps we could catch some fish in the river or hunt deer for dinner."

Sam's massage slowed down. "We could have a bear skin rug, and a mounted moose head."

"Moose don't live in the UK, Sam," Lara pointed out.

She ignored her. "We could sit in front of our fireplace. I can imagine you just off in the woods gathering some firewood. Using those strong muscles of yours."

Lara laughed. "And I suppose you won't be helping me?"

Sam grinned. "Well who else is going to enjoy the gun show then?"

Lara ducked her head, chuckling bashfully. Was Sam flirting with her?

"It'll be fun, Lara," Sam continued. She nudged her shoulder with her nose. "Looking at the stars every night. Just living out our lives in peace." She sighed. "God, it sounds amazing."

"It can't-"

"Shh," Sam covered her mouth with roughly with her palm. "Don't ruin this." She wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her back into her.

Lara lingered on the thought as she rested against Sam. It wasn't impossible, on second thoughts. There would probably be a hunting cabin somewhere in the woods - they had already found one. It might take a while to find another, but they could make it work.

They could stick spikes around the place to fend off the biters, and set up traps to stop any humans from entering. There was actually enough game in the forest to last them a lifetime if they hunted smartly. And they could find seeds and grow their own vegetables - they had already done so here so it wasn't impossible.

They could stop running; from the biters, from humans, from all the shit in this world. They could live out the rest of their lives in peace. Together.

"Let's do it," she said.

"What?" Sam asked, sitting up. She felt her head lift from her shoulder.

Lara turned around to face her. "Let's go find a house in the mountains where we can live together."

"Lara…" Sam sighed and leaned back against the armrest frowning. "That…I was just joking."

"And I'm not," she said, locking eyes with her. "I want this Sam. We could…" _be together_ , she almost said. "…be safe. We don't have to worry about any of this anymore. It could be perfect."

Sam looked at her sympathetically. "Lara…you know I was joking, right? It's wishful thinking. It's beyond even that. It's never going to happen."

Heat rose to her cheeks and her heart tightened. What had gotten into her? Thinking they could just escape all this and that Sam would magically fall in love with her.

She ducked her head and forced a laugh. "Haha, yeah…I was joking too," she murmured, "I fooled you didn't I?" She stood up. "Do you want water? I'm thirsty."

"I'm fine," she heard Sam say behind her.

Lara strode over to the dresser and took her time pouring herself a glass of water, not looking at Sam. She was mortified. She might as well have laid her feelings out on a platter. Sam had to know how she felt now - she was smart.

And yet she didn't feel the same way.

That was the worst part, and a part of her always knew that it was going to happen.

Rejection.

It was easier to believe that it was because Sam wasn't gay, rather than consider the possibility that it was because she didn't want to be with someone like _her_.

Lara tried drinking the water slowly but her anxiety made her drain it within a few seconds.

"Can I ask you something?" Sam asked. Her tone was inquisitive, but that was the only thing she could pick up.

Lara managed a glance at her as she poured herself another glass. "What is it?"

"Why did you come back for me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You could have left me. When you found out I was missing. That's what I thought you would have done. It was too hard to find me, too dangerous for you. So why did you come back for me?"

Lara ran her thumb along the lip of the glass as she thought about what to tell her. "Because I…" _Like you_ , she thought, but the words remained on her tongue "…Because you're my friend, Sam. I couldn't leave you."

Sam studied her quietly. Lara could see her thoughts zipping by behind those brown eyes, and she wondered what she was thinking.

" _Just_ 'friends'?" she asked quietly.

Lara sipped her water to stall for time. This was it. She could tell her now. It wasn't like Sam didn't know anyways.

Or she could just dismiss it, pretend it didn't happen and salvage whatever friendship they had left.

"I…" There was a knock on the door.

Lara released a breath and looked towards the door. Saved by the bell, so to speak. "I'll go get that," she said, walking over to it.

"Right," Sam murmured behind her.

Lara opened the door and tensed immediately. "Mathias," she said. "What are you doing here?"

The man stood calmly in the doorway, his hood pulled over his head to protect from the sprinkling rain. "Lara," he greeted. "Is Sam here?" He tried to peer behind her but Lara moved in the way.

"We're busy," she lied, hoping he would go away. Had Will betrayed them? Does he know? Is that why he was here?

"I heard that Samantha was ill," he continued, as if she hadn't spoken, "I thought that I should check up on her."

"She was ill; she had a cold, but now she's better." A pause, before she decided to add, "This was a few days ago. You're a bit late."

Mathias ignored the insult. "I'd still like to see her," he insisted. He took a step forward but Lara blocked him. "Is there a reason I cannot enter?"

"Hey sweetie!" Sam greeted brightly. Lara looked at her as she wrapped her arms around Lara's waist. Heat rose to her cheeks as she saw that she was topless and trouser-less. Her eyes landed on her cleavage and then immediately darted away.

"I was wondering what's taking you so long." She kissed her cheek, and if it was possible for her to be any more red she would be.

"Uhh…Sam…" Lara said, trying to keep her eyes above her neck. It didn't work, and instead she smiled at Mathias nervously.

"Hey Mathias," Sam said, turning towards him. "Sorry this isn't a good time to talk. You actually interrupted something."

Mathias looked startled, the first time she had seen something other than a scowl or a smirk on his face. "Samantha," he said, his voice lacking the roughness it had before. "I…thought you were sick?"

"Yeah I was, but I'm feeling a lot better now. This means that this is the first time I get to have sex with this one," she patted Lara's chest, "In a week."

Lara looked down and squeezed her eyes shut. Great. How hard would it be to find a hole and bury herself in it?

"I see…" he said slowly, shifting on his feet. "Well…I should leave you two to it then." He backed away and Sam might have waved goodbye to him.

Lara glanced up and waited until he was a good distance away then shut the door. "Sam!" she said, pushing her away. "What the hell?!"

Sam shrugged, her slender shoulders bobbing up and down. "What? We needed to get rid of him otherwise he was going to find out the truth. You weren't helping being all defensive and that. It just made him more suspicious."

"But…" she gestured wildly at her. "This? Really? Now everyone is going to think that we're together!"

Sam snorted. "Is that really such a bad thing? Besides, it's the fastest way to get rid of someone: just give them too much information."

Lara sighed. Although the situation was mortifying it did work. "I guess…" She looked up at Sam, cheeks still pink. "Good job."

Sam smiled coyly, shifting her feet. "Thanks," she mumbled. They stared at each other for a moment more until Lara realised that Sam still wasn't wearing any clothes. She cleared her throat and looked at the floor.

"Umm…" she began, her cheeks reddening again. "Could you…put on some clothes now?" she asked.

Sam looked down at herself. "Oh, yeah of course." She walked over to the couch and slipped her shirt and trousers on again.

Lara exhaled and dumped herself on the sofa. A minute later Sam sat down and snuggled into her side.

Lara bit her lower lip and kept her eyes forward. It was so hard to get the image of how Sam's skin was flawless out of her mind, let alone stop thinking of how it felt against hers. Life was really torture at the moment.


	17. Caught

Thank you for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and I'm glad you guys are still enjoying the story. Also thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing this.

* * *

"What do you need me for?" Lara asked, walking into the admin building. She had been pulled away from her guard duty for this, and she had been enjoying the solitude. "This better be good."

"Vladimir and his runners are missing," Mathias said. "They're late."

"You brought me here for _this_?" she asked, turning to Roth. "It's not unusual for the runners to be gone a few extra days." Her group often did this, being unable to find sufficient supplies within the deadline. "It doesn't mean they're missing."

Roth rubbed the sling around his arm. "Normally, no," he said. "But they've been gone for more than a week. We think something might have happened to them."

Lara couldn't say she was particularly worried or upset over the news. She despised Vladimir, and the less muscle Mathias had the better.

"We need you to go out and look for them," Mathias said. "I'm worried about them." It didn't show on his face.

"They can handle themselves," Lara said, folding her arms and straightening. "If they can't make it back then they don't deserve to be here. Isn't that your motto?"

"Usually I would agree, but these are our people." Lara snorted. Like that would matter to him. He was trying to make her seem like an uncaring person. "They were also looking for more food, something which we're starting to run low on. You need to go find them."

"Send one of your lackeys, Mathias," she said, already turning around. "Or better yet, you go find them. You don't need me for this." She started towards the door.

"Lara," Roth called. She turned around and saw him sigh. "If they are in trouble they might need someone capable to get them out. No one else is better than you." He paused, before adding, "We could also use the food they found."

Lara locked eyes with her mentor. They were tired, as if he had been forced into this decision. She gritted her teeth. She didn't want to make Roth's life any harder yet she didn't want to go find Vladimir and his runners. Better off dead, she believed.

"I would go if I could," Mathias said. He might have looked slightly sad - or was that irritation? "But I need to stay here and help manage the camp."

"Roth doesn't need help to do that," she pointed out.

"Just do it," Mathias snapped. Lara raised her brows and Mathias relaxed again. "Please, go find them," he said in a nicer tone.

Lara looked at Roth again and saw him nod. She frowned and looked at Mathias. "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

Mathias smiled thinly and Lara was already regretting her decision. He gestured to a map of Bath on the table and Lara looked at it. "Vladimir and his runners were meant to search this supermarket," he told her. "It used to be a Tesco, so there may have been food there. You should probably search there first."

This was going to be annoying, Lara thought. There was probably going to be heaps of biters there and that's why they were missing. She sighed. "I'll leave immediately then," she said, then left the admin building.

Roth intercepted her outside. "Lara," he said. "I'm sorry about that. If I could, I would send Mathias to rescue his own men. But he's meant to be checking up on Roger today."

Roger was the oldest person in this camp. He often had trouble with his back, and Mathias, being the most qualified medical professional here, had quickly become his best friend.

"I understand," Lara said, sighing. They were losing this fight - Mathias had too much control.

Roth put a hand on her shoulder. "Be careful, alright?"

She nodded. "I will," she said, embracing him. "You too."

Lara started away to find Alex and Sam when Roth called her back.

She turned around, "Yes?"

"I... know I was disapproving of you and Sam before," he said, looking slightly awkward, "But if she makes you happy, then… I'm happy for you two."

Lara blinked at him. Since Sam had pulled that stunt, everyone in the camp thought that they were together. The gossip made her uncomfortable but if she denied it Mathias would be suspicious again. So instead, she just smiled and nodded. "Thanks Roth."

He clapped her on the shoulder and Lara left to find Alex and Sam. Jonah was usually a runner as well, but he had caught a cold and wasn't fit to accompany them. Lara told Alex and Sam to prepare and then went to do so herself.

In another thirty minutes they were in a hybrid and heading towards Bath.

"I never thought I'd see the day where we would have to rescue Vlad and his runners," Alex said. He was sitting in the back.

"Sometimes people get unlucky," Sam said from the seat next to her.

"Still, I kind of wish we could leave them there. I actually feel a lot safer when they're not here."

Sam snorted. "As much as I agree with you they're still one of us. And they might have supplies."

Lara didn't say anything, just kept driving. She didn't want to be doing this, and she was tempted to leave them to die if a situation presented itself.

When they arrived at the outskirts of the city she saw the pickup truck which Vladimir and his runners had taken. Alex, Lara and Sam got out of their hybrid and investigated the truck. There were two bags of rice and a few cans of food under the tarp covering the back. The food may have come from Tesco, and they may have returned to get more when something went awry.

Lara lead the way to the Tesco marked on the map, avoiding the biters along the way. The place was a long way into the city, and it took them more than an hour to get there.

When they finally did, they hid behind a nearby building while they watched the Tesco… and the hundreds of biters surrounding it.

"Do you think they're trapped in there?" Alex asked, peering over her shoulder.

"I have no idea," Lara said. She sat down against the wall, resting her sore feet. She pressed the button on the walkie talkie attached to her bag strap. "Hello?" she said. "Vladimir, Will, Nikolai, Edward, do you copy?"

There was nothing. They were close enough now that they could communicate if Vladimir and his runners had their walkie talkies, but there was no response. That meant that they had either lost them, run out of battery or were dead.

"They might not be in there," Alex mused aloud, "I mean, there's no knowing for sure."

"And if they are?" Sam asked. "We're going to have to go in there. It's our best lead anyways."

Lara looked around them. There were no biters in their area and the nearest ones were wondering in the parking lot around Tesco. "We could cover ourselves in biter innards again," Lara suggested.

"Wait, what?" Alex exclaimed.

"If you cover yourself in biter guts and act like one, they ignore you," Sam explained. "Lara and I used that method to get into the orchard. It's not a bad idea."

Lara sighed and stood up. The lengths they were going to save their sorry asses…"We're going to have to find biters then, and maybe some disposable clothes."

They headed away from the main roads and back towards the streets. The biters on the road were too numerous for them to take out effectively whilst there were no biters in the street. It was annoying that when they finally needed at least one biter there were none to be seen.

"We should just get the clothes first," Sam suggested. "The biters are sure to come to us soon."

Lara couldn't argue with that. They headed into the nearest house without biters. There were blankets in the bedrooms which they could fashion into rough ponchos, which should be enough for them to get through.

Lara brought the blankets to the living room downstairs. "Sam, why don't you take a look upstairs for anything useful?" Lara asked.

Sam nodded. "Okay."

"Hey, I saw a car outside L.C," Alex said. "Do you mind if I go check it out? I might be able to scavenge some spare parts for Reyes."

"That's fine. I'll just be here."

Alex left and Lara began cutting up the blankets to size with her combat knife. She wished she had scissors, as her holes were jagged and rough. Alex was still outside, tinkering with the car and making a lot of noise. It was putting her on edge.

Lara sighed and threw the second completed blanket on the opposite end of the sofa. Vladimir better be in the Tesco, she thought. They were taking a huge risk walking through that horde just to rescue them.

There was a small bar on the opposite side of the room. Lara abandoned the blanket briefly and walked over to it. There were a variety of liquors and spirits on the counter and shelves which could be used for Molotov's.

Lara opened a bottle of wine and sniffed it experimentally. The smell of fermented grapes made her recoil a little and she looked at the bottle. She had never had a proper drink before, and she was curious as to how she would handle it.

People often drank after a long day to destress. Heavens know that she could use that just about now what with Vladimir and Mathias taking over the camp, her conflicting feelings about Sam, just struggling to survive every day.

It was an escape. A way out of this accursed world, even if it was for a few minutes.

Lara closed her eyes and put the bottle back on the counter. As much as she wanted to, this wasn't wise when she was about to head into a horde. Another day, maybe. She opened her eyes again.

Something flickered in the reflection of the bottle.

Lara spun around, grabbing her pistol when a man punched her hard in her head.

She gasped as spots danced before her eyes and she fell to her side. Her vision was blurry, but she lifted her arm and tried to shoot at the man. A foot connected sharply with her hand and her pistol went flying.

Before she could fight back or cradle her hand to her chest, the man stepped on her throat. The air stopped flowing through her trachea and she tried pushing his foot off, but he was too strong.

"Don't move," he said, with a slight cockney accent. "We've captured your friend out the front." He aimed a gun at her head. Alex's gun, she realised.

Lara stopped struggling and instead focused on breathing. Her knife was back on the sofa, discarded when she had walked to the bar. If he wasn't holding a gun to her head, she might try to sweep his feet out from under him. But now it was too risky.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Who wants to know?" Lara rasped.

The foot pushed down harder. "I ask the questions here," he growled. Lara swallowed, failing to get more air in. "Who are you?"

"Lara," she grimaced.

"Who are you with?"

"No one."

"Don't lie to me," he said, lowering the gun closer to her eye.

"I'm not." She couldn't give these people an edge, no matter how little.

"You are," he growled. "We know you're with _them."_

"Who?" There was another man standing by the door, keeping watch.

"Don't play dumb with me. Your friends told us you were coming. We have them as hostages, and if you don't tell me the truth then _we're going to kill them_." Lara realised he must have been talking about Vladimir and his runners. That or another random group. "How many of you are there?"

Lara glared up at him. "It's just us," she said. Sam was still upstairs, and she hoped that she had enough sense to remain hidden. "We were sent to find our scouts. They've been gone for a week."

The man narrowed his eyes at her and pressed down. Lara grimaced and could barely stop from gagging.

"Grant," the man said, looking back towards the door. "Go check the rest of the house."

 _Shit._ Lara tried to knock the man's leg off her, but it was too sturdy. The man frowned down at her and punched her again. Lara's head rocked back and the whole world swirled. She tried to lean up.

The next hit made her whole world go black.

* * *

Something was prodding her.

It was in her abdomen; a quick, irregular nudging that wouldn't stop.

Lara groaned and found that the sound was stifled. She tried to open her mouth but found out that it was taped shut.

She opened her eyes. She was lying on her side, and there was someone sitting in front of her. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she realised that it was Alex.

Alex made a sound, his eyes full of relief. He retracted his foot and Lara realised that it was him who had been prodding her, trying to wake her up.

Lara pushed herself up and leaned back against the wall. Her hands were tied together behind her back with more duct tape and her head pounded. From the many punches, she guessed.

She took a few deep breaths and looked around, trying to get a sense of where she was.

Her captors were in front of her, arguing about something. There were five people, including the two who had captured her and Alex. They were all armed with either rifles or pistols and Lara recognised them as _their_ weapons. The other boy who had been present at her capture had her bow and axe.

Vladimir was here as well, along with Will and Edward. They were all awake, bound and looking at her. Vladimir had a large bruise on his left eye and his lip was split. Lara glared back at them and they turned their attention to the front.

So they _had_ been the group that the man had talked about.

Sam and Nikolai were nowhere to be seen. She was relieved that Sam hadn't been caught and briefly wondered where she was. Had she run? Gone back to the resort to get help? Or had she followed them and was waiting for a chance to get them out?

Alex was frowning at her, asking a silent question; _What do we do?_

Lara didn't know. They were all tied up and unarmed. She had no idea where Sam was, or if she was even safe. They would have to wait until an opportunity presented itself to escape as to do so now would just result in their deaths.

"So what do we do with them?" A woman asked. She had long red hair, braided.

"Kill them," a man growled. He had a short buzz cut and had his arms folded. "Mary died because of them. An eye for an eye I say."

"They sent two people to find them," another woman pointed out. "What if they send more people after us? We got lucky this time, surprising them, but what if they get the upper hand the next time?"

"Then what are we meant to do, Chrissie?" The buzz cut man asked. "Let them go? They'll come back with more people, more weapons, and more people will die."

Lara looked around. The wall was crumbling behind her and there were chunks of stone coming off it. She felt behind her and found a piece of stone which was relatively sharp. She glanced at the captors - they hadn't noticed her.

Keeping her eyes to the front, she began sawing at the tape.

"This isn't our decision, Ronald," the first woman said. "It's Natalie and Pete's. They won't be happy that we took matters into our own hands."

"Screw their notions of justice!" a man exclaimed. It was the cockney man who caught her. "We should kill these assholes now. If we let them go, they'll just go out and kill more people." He pointed at them. "Look at them. They don't care about what they did. Do you really want them to go out and rob more innocent people? You might as well kill your own son and give them his shoes!"

Julie frowned. "That's not fair, Thom."

Lara looked at Vladimir and the others who remained staring at their captors. What the fuck did they do? ' _Rob'_? That wasn't a normal self-defence situation.

Her eyes landed on a red and white scarf around Vladimir's neck. She remembered a young girl, pointing a gun at her, who had the exact same scarf.

The truth dawned on her. Why Vladimir always came back with the best supplies, whilst Lara could barely find cans of food on her runs.

They killed people for them.

Roth and Mathias had a no-killing policy when scavenging for supplies. Self-defence only, and you needed to find the supplies from the world. You couldn't rob people - we weren't that desperate and there were others just trying to survive as well.

Lara had always abided by that rule, only killing people when she was threatened. She had thought Vladimir would have as well, but evidently she was wrong.

Lara glared at Vladimir but he either didn't notice her or didn't care. There was no remorse on his face, just calculation of how to get out of this situation.

She turned away in disgust and started sawing her bonds in earnest. She thought back to the first time Vladimir and his runners had brought back a bounty of supplies - a little after the resort had started supporting larger numbers. This had been going on since then, she realised.

Fuck them, she thought. If she got out of this situation, she should leave them to die. She wouldn't kill people just for a can of beans. It was one of the few lines she wouldn't cross and she didn't think those back at the resort would appreciate it either.

"What about the other two?" Chrissie asked. They all looked at her and Lara stopped sawing. She didn't want to make them suspicious. "No one ever mentioned anything about a girl."

Thom shrugged. "She said they're with them. They have to die as well."

The other woman sighed. "I don't know if that's fair," she said.

"Life's not fair, Julie," Ronald said. There was a hardness in his eyes which Lara recognised. Bitterness. Revenge.

The tape was weakening, but not fast enough. When one of them came over she would have to grab their gun and probably use them as a shield. The only problem was if the others didn't move, and ended up being held hostage as well.

"So… what do we do then?" the fifth man asked. He had been quiet until now, sitting on a table and observing timidly. He had been the other person at the house and Lara figured he couldn't have been older than eighteen. "Whatever we choose, we should do it before another storm hits."

"A vote," Chrissie said. She seemed to be the voice of reason in this group. "Whoever thinks we should kill them, hands up now."

Lara held her breath. Two hands went up - Ronald and Thom. Julie and the eighteen year old looked down whilst Chrissie held the two men's stares.

"I can't bloody believe this," Ronald said, throwing his hands up. Lara released a breath at the same time. "After all they did? Grant? Julie?"

"I don't want to be exiled," the boy said. Grant. "They said that if we found them we need to bring them back. If Natalie and Pete found out we'll be kicked out."

"They don't need to know," Ronald insisted.

"They're unarmed," Julie added. "It doesn't feel right."

"When they're armed they could kill us," Thom said. "Don't be stupid."

"It's three to two," Chrissie said. "We'll take them back to the warehouse."

"Fine," Ronald snapped. He stormed over to Vladimir and hauled him up roughly. "Come on, asshole."

Lara dropped the stone as Chrissie walked over to her. She wasn't as rough with her as Ronald had been with Vladimir and she wasn't going to antagonise her. The tape felt weaker, and Lara thought that with enough strength she could pull it apart.

Chrissie had a pistol tucked under her belt. Lara didn't want to have to kill her, but it looked like it was the only way.

"We should cut through the shopping centre," Chrissie said. "It'll be faster."

She pushed her forward and Lara started walking. _Patience,_ she told herself. The right moment would come, and when it did, she would need to be ready.


	18. Survivor

Thanks for the reviews and thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

Scuffling downstairs. A cry of pain.

Sam bolted upright from the drawer she was riffling through and tiptoed quietly towards the stairs, her hunting rifle in her hands. Her heart was thumping in her chest, and she wanted to call out to Lara and Alex but something warned her not to.

The stairs overlooked the living room, and Sam could see everything from up here. She stayed behind the wall and peered around the corner to see what was happening.

"Who are you?" an unknown man asked. He had his foot on Lara's throat.

Sam caught her breath. Shit. If this guy had managed to jump Lara then he must have taken out Alex as well.

The guy was still interrogating Lara downstairs. Sam slung her rifle across her back and drew her pistol. She was about to take aim at the man when another person stepped through the door.

Sam gulped and hid back behind the corner. Fuck. If she had just been quicker, she might have been able to save Lara. If she tried now the boy standing at the door would definitely see her.

"How many of you are there?" the man asked.

"It's just us," Lara answered evenly. "We were sent to find our scouts. They've been gone for a week."

There was a tense moment of silence as Sam wondered if the man would believe her. Lara was obviously trying to save her, yet Sam wasn't sure what she would do even if she succeeded. How was she going to rescue them without putting them in danger?

"Grant," the man said, "Go check the rest of the house."

Panic seized her and Sam looked around desperately. She could hear footsteps coming up the stairs and she darted back to the bedroom she had been in.

There was a sliding wardrobe behind her. Sam opened the door slowly so it didn't rumble and then slipped into it. She closed the door quietly then crouched down and moved to the opposite end of the wardrobe.

It was dark, and Sam could hear the man walking from room to room. Her breathing seemed so loud and the amount of dust in here tickled her nose.

Footsteps entered her room. Sam caught her breath and waited, listening to the creak of the floorboards as he moved around.

The opposite end of the wardrobe opened. Sam placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a yelp. The door closed again and Sam used the noise to dart back to the opposite side.

The wardrobe opened back where she had been and Sam held her breath again. She had a feeling he was going to do that, and if she hadn't moved, she would have been caught right now.

The wardrobe closed again and the footsteps retreated out of the room. Sam released her breath but didn't dare open the door until she heard the man go back down the stairs.

She slipped back out of the wardrobe and went back to the balcony. She had to follow them. She couldn't leave her friends and it would take too much time to go back and get help. Lara didn't leave her when she was missing, and now it was time to return the favour.

"There's no one upstairs," Grant reported. "What do we do now?"

"Take them back to the café," the other man said. He was looking down at Lara, who was unconscious. Sam felt anger spark her body and she wanted to kill them both. "I'm sure the others will want to see them." He gave Lara's bow and arrows and axe to Grant then picked Lara up and slung her over his shoulder.

"Man, I think we should just go to Cardiff," Grant said, strapping Lara's weapons to him. "Other survivors say there's a community there. Walls, food, everything. We don't need to deal with this shit." He bent down and picked Alex up.

"That's bullshit. Cardiff fell ages ago. 'Sides, we have a pretty good deal. Why'd you want to leave? "

Grant mumbled something that Sam couldn't hear. She heard their footsteps leave the house and waited a minute before following them.

Sam followed them with her pistol in hand, keeping a safe distance. She was thankful they were walking slowly, as it allowed her to follow easily and make sure biters wouldn't ambush her.

As she tailed them she realised that she didn't have a plan. What was she going to do when they finally stopped? Kill them? There were probably going to be more people there so how was she going to deal with them? Lara and Alex were still their hostages, and if she didn't kill them fast enough, they would be used against her.

The men headed into a café on the outside of a large mall and Sam's choice was taken away from her.

Sam darted around the opposite end of the courtyard and watched the café from inside another shop. She couldn't see what was happening inside as the windows were dirtied, but eventually she could hear the faint voices of people arguing. Well she sure as well couldn't charge in there now.

Sam looked around. This place wasn't the best for an ambush. Although they were going to come out of the door single file, there was too much cover for them and no high places for her to snipe.

Sam took a look around the shop, but there wasn't anything interesting or useful. She watched the café, chewing on her bottom lip nervously and checking that her rifle was loaded more than once.

It felt like an hour before something happened. The café door opened and a man with a buzz cut came out, pushing another scruffy looking man in front of him. Sam squinted at them and realised that it was Vlad. Behind him, Will, Edward, Lara and Alex emerged as well, pushed along by their captors.

Sam released a small breath at seeing Lara still alive. She was safe for now, and it only strengthened her resolve to save them.

After the group had entered the mall, Sam trailed behind them quietly. The mall had a large open area in the middle with the shops lined along the edges. The second level could be accessed by an escalator to their left and opened up in the middle so you could see the floor below.

This seemed like her best shot. The area was perfect to snipe in and the group in front of her were walking straight through the middle. She just hoped that the guys would be ready and knew this was a rescue mission as soon as she made her move.

Sam darted quickly up the broken escalator and along the second floor. She stopped when she was a few feet behind them and looked through the scope of the rifle. This seemed like a decent spot.

The crosshair swayed as she tried to line it up with the back of the head of Lara's captor, but she had a clear shot.

Sam swallowed and curled her finger around the trigger. This woman didn't have to die, a part of her reasoned, she's just trying to survive like all of us.

Sam took a deep breath. _They have my friends. They have Lara._

She squeezed the trigger.

The sound was deafening in her ear and the woman collapsed.

"Get down!" someone yelled. They all started running and looking around.

Sam pulled the bolt back and fired again. She missed this time and then they saw her. "Up there!"

Sam yelped and darted away from the barrier as they started firing at her. The glass panes splintered and shattered behind her. She crouched down, seeing a hail of bullets strike the roof above her. Bits of plaster rained down above her as she moved down the walkway to try to snipe them again.

The gunshots cut off as she heard the swears and cries of fighting beneath her. Lara and the others must have started fighting back.

There was a gurgled scream behind her. Sam turned around just in time to be grappled by a biter. She pushed it back with her rifle and then smashed it with the barrel. Three-no four biters were advancing behind it and Sam backed away spraying at them frantically.

"Fuck!" Her foot connected with something and she glanced around to see that it was the glass barrier. Why didn't she check the area first before doing something so stupid?

She managed to shoot one biter through its head but the next came and pinned her against the railing. She grunted and held it off, only a rifle separating them while it pushed her against the barrier.

There was a crack behind her.

 _Fuck._ The glass behind her weakened and then shattered.

"Argh!" She shoved the biter to the side before she fell, screaming. Gravity took over, pulling her down and then abruptly slamming her into the ground.

Her side exploded in pain and she cried, clutching her ribs and rolling onto her back. Her vision was blurry and her head hurt, but she could see the biters falling down on top of her.

Sam grunted and drew her pistol, scrambling backwards along the broken glass. Her breathing was ragged as she shot at them, wasting too many bullets before piercing their skulls.

An arm pushed her shoulder down and then the biter sunk its teeth into her bicep. Sam exclaimed and shot it off her before scrambling away. Her thick jacket had protected her but there were still three more biters almost on her.

Sam raised the gun and emptied the rest of her clip into them, taking down two. Gunshots from behind her took out the last, and then Will was by her side, wincing and kneeling down. "Here, let me help," he said, taking her arm.

Sam yanked it away. "I'm fine," she growled. The last thing she wanted was Will's hands on her. She grimaced and stood up shakily, trying to block out the pain in her ribs.

She turned around just in time to see one of them - Grant - aim at Lara. Sam wanted to cry out but then Alex tackled him from the side and they both fell down.

Alex and Grant wrestled, but somehow Grant managed to get behind Alex and yank him up, in front of him, as a human shield.

Lara turned around and aimed her gun at him when Grant yelled, "DON'T!"

Sam froze and clutched her ribs. Grant tightened his arm around Alex's neck and pressed a gun against his head. "One more step," he said, "And I will scatter his brains." Alex gripped the man's arm but that only made the man press the gun harder against his temple

They all stared at him.

"We're going to walk out of here," he said, dragging Alex along with him. "You're not going to move, and if I see anyone try _anything_ …I will kill him."

Sam gritted her teeth. She was afraid to move. Grant's eyes were darting between all of them and she was sure that if she moved he would see her.

"Lara-"Alex croaked.

"Shut up!" Grant yelled. He pressed the gun against his temple but then pointed it back at the others.

"Let him go," Lara growled, eyes narrowing.

Grant was outnumbered. His friends were all dead, shot. Alex was only being used as insurance. Surely when he got out he would let Alex go? Him cowering behind Alex was the only reason why he wasn't dead right now.

Lara took a step forward and gripped her pistol. Grant switched the gun at Lara then back at Alex. "I said don't move!" he shouted.

Lara narrowed her eyes. There was a hard look in her eyes, something dark, determined, like she'd had this struggle before.

"Lara," Sam called to her, "Put the gun down. There's no-"

"Let him go," Lara repeated as if she hadn't heard her. Sam wasn't sure she _had._ She seemed in her own mind, a horse with blinkers on, oblivious to anything but her goal.

 _This is a terrible mistake._ Grant was well shielded behind Alex and there was no way Lara could hit him without injuring Alex.

There was the sound of growls and shrieks in the distance. Sam glanced over her shoulder and her heart stopped when she saw that there were dozens of biters pushing through the glass doors. They started running towards them.

"Shit! Guys!" She started forward and away from the biters. "Lara," she tried again, "There are-"

"I've got this!" she snapped. She didn't take her eyes off Grant as she took another step forward.

"There are biters behind you!" Grant yelled, backing away quicker, but Lara matched his steps with one of her own. He switched the gun to her and Lara stopped. "I will shoot him!" he yelled. His hand was trembling, but Lara's wasn't.

Sam heard the shot before she saw it. Alex cried out before another shot cut his scream short. Grant dropped the body and turned for the exit. Another shot rang out and Grant fell to the concrete, yelling and cradling his leg.

Sam stood there in shock. Lara had shot Grant, but missed, and Grant had shot Alex.

Alex was dead.

Lara cried out and rushed towards Grant. She turned him over by the collar as he attempted to crawl and punched him. "Fuck you!" Lara yelled, anger breaking her voice.

A gurgled scream behind her. Sam glanced around and gulped when she saw that they were closer. Will shot a few of them with his rifle then yelled, "We need to go!"

Lara was still beating Grant. From this distance, his face was a bloody bruise. Sam ran towards her, ignoring the pain in her side and shouted, "Lara, stop!"

Lara grabbed Grant by the collar. "You _killed_ him," Lara hissed, baring her teeth. There were tears in her eyes. "I'm going to make you _fucking_ pay." She dropped him and hit him again.

"Lara!" Sam pleaded. She grabbed her arm before she could punch him again. Lara growled and spun around. There was murder in her eyes and it made her recoil.

"Let me finish this," she growled.

Sam didn't know where her nerve came from but she gripped onto it and tightened her hold on Lara's arm. "We need to go, Lara," she said. "We don't have time for this."

"He _killed_ Alex." She bit back. Her face was twisted in pain, broken. "I can't let that go."

"You have to," she growled. "Or you will _die_ here."

Lara gritted her teeth and looked back at Grant. His face was barely recognisable; his cheeks were swollen red, his eyes beaten black and blue and his jaw and nose looked broken. Grant was still alive, unbelievably; his lips were muttering something as they bled, a prayer perhaps.

This was Lara's work. _Lara_ had done this to him.

She felt sick.

Lara pulled her arm free and drew her gun on Grant. For a moment Sam thought she was going to end him but as a biter screamed, she glanced back and then quickly took her bow and axe back. "Let's go," she said, strapping them to herself.

Lara grabbed her hand and ran. Sam sprinted after her to where Vlad and Will were waiting by the opposite exit of the mall. Vaguely, she realised that Edward wasn't with them anymore.

Will was limping on his right foot but together they ran out into another courtyard… where there were more biters heading towards them. God dammit! Sam thought. There weren't many, but it was too dangerous to run through them.

"Shit," Vlad swore. With biters behind them and in front of them, he turned left and headed towards a large op shop. "Follow me!"

"Do you know where you're going?!" Will asked, hopping on his left foot and then running.

"No!"

Sam wanted to protest that maybe this wasn't the best direction but she didn't have enough breath to spare. Her ribs hurt too much and it was becoming hard to breathe.

Lara pulled her into the op shop and Will and Vlad pushed the nearby mannequins in front of the door. They weaved through the rows of second-hand goodies, searching for the employee's exit.

"Hold on," Sam said, leaning against a wall. "I need a moment." She saw a bright orange step box near her and sat on it, clutching her side again.

"What happened?" Lara asked, kneeling down next to her. She brushed her hair back from her face in a surprisingly gentle manner. Sam noticed that the back of her hand and knuckles were bloody.

"I fell," Sam said, resting her head against the wall and closing her eyes. "I think I broke my ribs." An image of the dead Grant, bleeding and crying flashed in her mind.

Sam could feel Lara pull up her shirt to look at her side. Sam managed to open her eyes and looked down at her chest; there was a dark red bruise halfway down her torso. Lara pressed it lightly and she winced.

"We need something to bind it," Lara said, standing up. She started looking at the things around her - mostly books and stationery.

"No," Vlad said. He was looking at the bruise. "No bandage. It only harder to breathe."

Lara turned on him, hands clenched. "And what would you know Vladimir?" she asked through her teeth.

They didn't need another fight. Not now. "Lara…" she warned.

"I bruised my ribs once," Vlad said, unperturbed, "That's what Mathias told me." He looked at Sam. "Take deep breaths. Breathe normally. Take painkillers."

"Why should we believe you after all you've done?" Lara hissed. What did she mean? What had they done?

Vlad scowled. "It was only way to get food. And medicine. And guns. It worked well. You don't complain when you eat."

"That's because I didn't know you killed people for them!" Lara yelled, shaking from anger.

What? Sam looked at Vlad. He was staring back at Lara expressionlessly, save for a small curl of his lips.

They had killed people for their supplies? That's how they brought back so much stuff? What the fuck wrong with them?

The growling was growing louder outside. There was only a single door, and it wouldn't take long for the biters to break through.

"I found the exit!" Will yelled.

Sam pulled her shirt down and stood up. Will appeared from a door a few meters away from them and waved them over.

Lara didn't move. "How do you not see how wrong this is?" she asked Vlad.

The curl broadened into a smile. "Wrong?" he asked, "Like how you killed Alex?"

The air practically electrified. Lara tensed. "Don't," she warned, tone low. "I was trying to save him."

"That worked well, no?"

Lara was going to hit him. Sam could see it in the way her veins stood out in her neck and the flicker of determination across her eyes.

Sam stepped quickly between them. "Stop," she said. "We need to go." She looked at Lara pleadingly.

Lara tore her eyes away from Vlad and looked at her. For a moment, Sam could see a sea of torment behind the hazel orbs. But then she blinked, and she was professional again.

She took her hand and led her past Vladimir and through the door. Her grip was tight, but Sam didn't care. Despite what had happened, Lara was still the only person she trusted here.

Will was peering out a back door. "It's clear," he said, turning to look at them. "We should go now."

Vlad pushed a table in front of the door they had come through and then they headed out. The door led into the alleyway and like Will said, there were no biters around for now.

"Let's go," Vlad said. They walked down the alleyway and away from the mall, slowly and quietly so as to not attract any attention. Lara had let go of her hand and was looking at the back of Vlad's head murderously.

Sam couldn't believe it. Alex was dead and Vladimir and his group had been killing people for their things.

It had happened so quickly, but Sam knew that she could have stopped it. That _Lara_ could have stopped it.

What had gotten into Lara? Why didn't she just put the gun down? Alex might have survived if Lara hadn't been so impetuous.

And what was wrong with Vlad and his group? She had thought that everyone at the resort was above this, but of course she was wrong. Vlad and his people were no better than those bandits, and the rest of the group had just been eating their ill-gotten food like a mob wife.

"Fuck!"

Sam looked up and saw a wire fence in front of them. Behind it was a mechanic's workshop and a dozen more biters. They screamed and pushed against the fence with unnatural strength, the barrier swinging back and forth.

"God dammit!" Lara looked around frantically and spotted a connecting alleyway. "This way!" She ran towards it, Will and Vlad right behind her.

Sam cursed and then ran after her companions. She cringed when she heard a crash behind her and knew that the biters had been set free.

Sam panted, her side screaming in pain. If her ribs weren't broken, they might as well be after all this running. Will was limping in front of her - he must have sprained his ankle - whilst Vlad and Lara were the only ones who could run. But they were panting and sweating, and seemed tired.

"Come on!" Vlad yelled from in front of them. He turned and fired his rifle at the biters behind them.

"We're not going to make it," Sam realised, slowing down. The pain in her chest was becoming unbearable and she could hear the biters closing in. She was immune to the virus, but that was going to do shit all when they were tearing her apart.

That was what she was afraid of most. She would rather be shot than be eaten alive by biters.

Lara was running beside her. She seemed to realise the same thing Sam had. "Don't worry, Sam," she said, drawing her pistol. "It's going to be fine."

She lifted her arm and shot Vlad.

Vladimir collapsed to one knee, screaming in pain. " _Ty che blyad?!"_

"What the fuck?!" Will yelled, looking at Lara.

Sam watched mouth agape as Lara ran up to Vlad and snatched his rifle off him. Without batting an eyelid, she shot his other leg. Vlad screamed again and fell to his side. " _Suka, blyad!_ " He glared up at Lara, eyes full of hate. "You bitch!"

Lara ran back to her and tugged her forward. "We need to go," she said. Sam felt her body move automatically. Vlad's screams echoed in the background, in her mind.

"Holy shit!" Will exclaimed as they passed him. "What the fuck?!"

Lara ignored him and kept pulling her forward. "We need to go," she muttered. "We need to go."

Sam didn't say anything, only let Lara pull her along as the biters descended on Vlad.


	19. Ripped

This is the end of Part 1 as I will be taking a break for a for a while as I study for my exams and get back into writing, so I hope you guys enjoy. Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

 _You can take the car…Just leave her out of this._

 _Whimpering, her heart pounding in her chest. The click of a gun as it was cocked._

 _Click, click, BANG._

 _I'm sorry…I-I didn't mean to._

 _Mum?_

* * *

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Will yelled as soon as they were safe. He turned and pointed his pistol at her, breathing heavily.

There were in the middle of the road, having long since left the biters behind them. Lara let go of Sam and stared flatly at Will. "I did what I had to do," Lara panted. But her words seemed to be an echo of a different time, a past that she wouldn't let go.

"No you didn't, you psycho!" He shook the gun at her. "You _shot_ Vladimir! You shot one of our own! And you killed Alex! I should just kill you now before you kill the rest of us!"

" _I said don't move!" Grant yelled._

" _Let him go," she growled._

Lara's eyes barely focused on him. "Try it," she hissed.

She had failed. Again. Why should she be allowed to live?

Will cocked the revolver.

"Will," Sam stepped between them. She was wincing and still clutching her side. "Calm down. We need to get back to the resort."

"You're going to defend her?!" he exclaimed, "After what she just did?!"

Vladimir's screams as the biters consumed him. Ripping, tearing apart his flesh.

"We'll deal with it once we get back. We're still in danger and I'm dying here. Let's just go."

Will gritted his teeth and then lowered his gun. "Fine," he growled. "But if Roth and Mathias don't kill her then Dimitri will. You're not getting away with this." He turned and limped away.

 _You're not getting away with this,_ Will says. Vladimir and his men have gotten away with killing who knows how many people for how long. Mathias might punish her for what she did, but he wasn't going to punish his own people.

Well, if they could get away with something for so long she could too.

Lara raised her gun.

Sam turned around to her. Her eyes widened and she slapped her hand down. "What the fuck are you doing?" she hissed.

Lara looked at her, eyes blank. "Tying up loose ends," she answered simply.

 _I should have done something, I should have saved him._

"You can't kill him, Lara," she said quietly. "Enough people have died today."

"Will is going to tell Mathias about what happened," she said. Her body was working automatically, responding to the situation in the smartest way. Her mind on the other hand, floated in a tank of water, watching from behind a glass wall. "The groups are already tense enough. If they find out about this war will break out."

"So your idea is to kill him?"

 _You bitch!_ Vladimir screamed.

Her finger was itchy. "Yes. Now move."

Sam didn't. "I won't let him kill you, Lara."

Lara watched her motionlessly. "Why not? It will be one less person who knows your secret."

"Because you can't come back from that." Despite how much pain she must have been in, Sam looked at her steadily. "You're in shock, and you're not thinking straight. Let's just head back and deal with it there."

Up ahead, Will turned back to them. "You coming assholes?" he yelled.

Lara looked at Will then back to Sam. Her brown eyes were pleading, like how they had been back at that op shop. She holstered her gun. "Let's go," she murmured listlessly.

They walked back to the cars outside the city. Will kept his distance from them whilst Lara walked at the back, scowling at her feet. She kept an eye on Sam who was grimacing and shambling along. Lara wished there were some painkillers to alleviate her pain, but Grant and the rest of their captors had taken everything.

Adrenaline was still trickling through her body, the only thing keeping her from descending into her torment. However when they reached the cars and started driving back, the glass wall cracked and everything in the past hour surged over her.

Alex was dead.

 _Let him go._

Lara gripped the wheel so tight that her knuckles turned white.

Alex died. He was dead. Her friend was dead.

How had she failed again? First her mum, now Alex. She couldn't let him die, she _had_ to do something. She couldn't have history repeat itself.

And yet…even though she had tried, she had failed. She had failed, and another person had died.

"What happened back there?" Sam breathed, head against the window. She had her eyes closed and her face was flushed. Lara was lucky to only have a few scrapes, grazes and bumps from the fight, but Sam had come away with injured ribs.

Lara watched Will's truck in front of them. "I don't know," she murmured. "I was trying to save him."

Sam was quiet but Lara could still hear her taking deep breaths. "Why didn't you just let Grant go?"

 _I should have done something._ "I couldn't just stand there, Sam," she scowled, her throat clogging up. "I already lost one person I cared about to the same situation where I just did nothing. I couldn't do it again."

Sam had turned to look at her. "Who did you lose?"

"My mum." A fresh wave of sadness swamped her chest and tears sprung into her eyes.

 _You can take the car…Just leave her out of this._

"I was a hostage," she said. "My mother tried to save me, and died instead. I could have fought back, made it harder for them to capture me, but I didn't. I just let myself be a hostage."

"That wasn't your fault, Lara," Sam protested.

She slapped the wheel. " _Yes it was_. And it happened again Sam. Alex saved me and I got him killed."

His eyes were full of terror as he stared at her, begging her to get him out safely. But Lara had barely registered him. She needed to save him. She couldn't let it happen again.

Sam was quiet as she stared ahead.

 _I should have done something._ She had this time, but it had only made things worse. Should she just give up on helping people? It never seemed to work out anyways.

"What's going to happen when we get back?" Sam asked.

Lara took a deep breath, exhaled it. "I'm going to tell them what happened. Everything, including what Vladimir and his group has been doing."

"Robbing people, yes, I remember." She winced for a moment. "Do you think Roth and Mathias know?"

She tightened her grip on the wheel. "Roth has no idea and would never condone such a thing. I don't think the rest of the camp know about it either. Mathias must know though; he probably suggested it."

"You know Dmitri might try to kill you?" Sam said, "He's lost both brothers today."

"He can try."

Lara had no qualms killing Vladimir. He was a disgusting human being, and she was sure that if he had the chance, he would rape and kill her. It was necessary. A preventative measure.

Her only regret was that she couldn't end it instantly. Being eaten alive was cruel, even for a disgusting man like him.

"You're not afraid of what might happen?"

Lara would probably be exiled if she was lucky. Everyone else would want to kill her, and if that did happen she would fight her way out. Her biggest regret would be that she needed to leave Roth and Sam behind, but she would do what she needed to do.

"I'll be prepared," she answered.

Sam watched her. "Are you okay, Lara? You don't seem…well."

Lara watched a biter pass by them and disappear into the rear view mirror. She wondered what happened after you died; whether you would be aware of your death or undeath. Or would you just forget everything, and leave this world of pain and suffering?

"No," she answered. "I'm not."

They drove the rest of the way in silence. When they got back, two people opened the gate for them and they drove in. Lara parked the car in the parking lot and watched Dmitri jog over to them while Roth and Mathias were behind him. Will had already stepped out and he was walking over to meet them. Her time was up.

Lara got out of the car and walked around to Sam's side. She opened the door and helped her out, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "You'll be okay," Lara said to her.

Sam winced. "I hope you'll be too."

Dimitri was grinding his teeth when they approached, hands clenched tight in fists. "Are you sure?" he asked, quietly.

"Yes," Will nodded. "Lara killed them."

Lara could guess what was happening. Dmitri turned to her with a murderous gaze. "That is untrue," Lara defended. She would not be made to be more of a villain than she actually was. "I didn't kill all your brothers."

Dmitri grabbed her by the collar and she was forced to let go of Sam. "Do not lie to me," he growled.

"Oi!" Roth yelled, shoving Dmitri away from her. "What's going on here? Where are the others?"

"Why don't you ask Lara?" Will said, looking at her.

All eyes turned to her. The hair on the back of her neck rose and she wanted to run. Her eyes met Roth's and she could see the flicker of dreaded realisation pass through them. "I think we should talk about this somewhere private," Roth told the others.

"I come too," Dmitri said. "I need to hear this." He was glaring daggers at Lara.

"Sam might have broken ribs," Lara said. She glanced at Sam who seemed to be holding up. "Please, help her first and then I'll talk."

Mathias' black eyes glinted like obsidian as they moved from her to Sam. "Go to the infirmary," he said, "Peter shall see to you."

Sam squeezed her hand before she left and Lara wondered if this was going to be one of the last times she would see her.

"We'll talk in the admin building," Roth decided.

"Hang on," Will said. He nodded at Lara. "Take her weapons away. I don't trust her."

Lara shot him a glare. "Is that really necessary?"

Roth sighed. "Lara, please don't make this harder."

Lara rolled her eyes but gave her pistol and knife to Roth. "Then would you take away Dmitri's guns?" she asked. "I don't trust him not to kill me during my explanation."

"I am not a brother-killer you _bliad'_!" Dmitri snapped.

"Dmitri," Mathias growled. "Hand over your gun."

Dmitri cursed in Russian as he shoved his pistol into Mathias' hand. "Now let's find out what happened," Mathias said.

Lara followed the group to the admin building. The silence was tense, and from the corner of her eye she could see Dmitri glaring at her angrily. She had no gun, but neither did Dmitri. She had never fought the Russian unarmed before but hoped that she would be able to best him if it came to it.

"Now what happened?" Mathias asked, as soon as the door had closed. "Will, you go first."

Will explained his side of the story; how the group had been scavenging around the city and found a large cache of food in a shop where someone had clearly been staying. They had been focused on moving the food back to the truck which took a long time, when they were ambushed by bandits. Nikolai had died before the other three had surrendered, and they were taken to a café before Lara and Alex came.

Sam had then tried to free them, and in the ensuing struggle Lara had killed Alex. When they were escaping from the biters, Lara had shot Vladimir in the legs so the biters would eat him.

" _Sooka!_ " Dmitri yelled at that part. "I should kill you now!"

"Dmitri, calm down!" Mathias snapped. Dmitri threw his hands up in the air and started pacing angrily.

"Is this true, Lara?" Roth asked, turning to her. He was standing next to her, and she was glad that even in circumstances as pressing as this he still had her back.

"Will left out the part where they'd been killing people to steal their things," Lara said.

Will blanched but gritted his teeth. Lara continued. "I'm sure you didn't know, Roth, but Vladimir and his runners have been robbing people blind. That's how they've been obtaining so many supplies. Innocent people have died because of them."

"What?!" Roth exclaimed. He looked at Mathias. "Did you know about this?"

Mathias was frowning - his equivalent of surprise. "This cannot be true," he said. "Vladimir would never do something like that."

"I doubt that you were ignorant, Mathias," Lara said. She would see justice here today, even though she knew her own fate. "They've been doing this for a long time. And I didn't kill Alex…" she faltered for a moment, remembering the moment his face turned slack. "He was being held hostage. I…tried to free him but it didn't turn out as planned."

"And Vladimir?" Mathias bit. "You still killed him."

"We were being chased by biters. Will and Sam were slow, and we were all tired. If I hadn't done something we would all be dead."

"You could have sacrificed your girlfriend," Will said. "Vladimir was the best of us while she was a liability."

"You sprained your ankle," she sniped at Will. "Be glad that I didn't leave you to die."

"So you admit it?" Mathias said. "You killed Vlad and Alex?"

"I chose to leave Vladimir because he got us into this mess. If you hadn't allowed him to rob people blind, then we would have never been captured in the first place. You're not even denying it."

Mathias folded his arms. His stiff expression showed no remorse or sorrow, only anger. "Vladimir was his own man in the city. I had no idea of his dealings."

"How long have you known about this Mathias?" Roth asked. It was relieving that he believed her.

Mathias turned to him. "You believe her?" he said, feigning incredulity.

"Lara wouldn't lie about this."

"She's a psycho who killed two of our own!" Will said. "She should be killed before she can do it again!"

"Let me!" Dmitri said. "I shall slice that _sooka_ until she is dead."

"Quiet!" He pointed at them with his good arm. "Mathias, answer the question."

Mathias narrowed his eyes. "It worked didn't it? It was what the resort needed, especially with this many people."

"That's not how we do things, Mathias," Roth growled. "How could you condone this?!"

"I think we should discuss this in private," Mathias said. He turned to them. "Get out. We'll call you when we've made a decision."

"What?" Dmitri said, "You no hurt her?" He gestured at Lara. "She killed my brother!"

"Don't worry, Lara will be punished." Mathias assured. "But until then, Roth and I need to talk in private."

Dmitri cursed again but turned around and stormed off. "Dmitri," Mathias called. He stopped and turned as Mathias walked over to him. They spoke too quietly for Lara to hear but Lara didn't like their hushed whispers.

Roth put a hand on her arm. "I'll take care of things, Lara," he said. Lara looked at her mentor's gentle eyes and felt a weight in her chest. Roth would sooner die himself than sentence her to death. She also knew that if she was exiled, he would probably go with her.

Lara couldn't do that to him though; he had sort of a family with Reyes and Alisha, safety in the walls of the resort and the resources to make a real sanctuary here. She couldn't take him away from this.

"Do what you need to do," she whispered. "Don't worry about me."

"Lara," Mathias called. "Get out."

Lara turned and glared at Mathias. She had the feeling she should slice his throat now, but then suddenly felt ashamed at the thought. Her impulses had gotten them into this trouble in the first place.

Head bowed, Lara walked out. Dmitri and Will shot a glare at her before walking off in their own direction. Lara took a breath and headed towards the infirmary. If she was going to leave, she was going to tell Sam first so she didn't have to find out from someone else.

"But it hurts," she heard Sam say as she neared the door.

"Your ribs are fine," Peter said. "Just ignore it, and it will go away."

Lara stood in the open doorway of the infirmary and folded her arms. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the dust in here. That wasn't a good sign for what should be a sterile environment.

"I don't think it will," Sam protested. She was sitting at a bed. "It hurts to breathe. Can't you just give me something stronger?"

"I can't, now just suck it up."

Lara cleared her throat.

Peter glanced at her and scowled immediately. No doubt word of what had happened had spread already. "I'm here to speak to Sam," she said.

Peter eyed both of them suspiciously then stood straighter. "I'll give you two a moment," he said curtly, then left. He closed the door behind him.

"What happened?" Sam asked as soon as he was gone. "Are you okay?"

Lara sat down next to her and sighed. "They're deciding my fate," she told her.

Sam leaned into her side and rested her head on her shoulder. "I'm guessing it didn't go well," she murmured.

"No." She resisted the urge to put her arm around her. Considering what had happened, she was bitterly grateful that they never became anything more. It would have only made it harder for her to leave. "How are you doing?"

Sam took a deep breath. "It hurts," she said, closing her eyes. "Peter didn't do anything. He just gave me these stupid pills which don't do shit."

"He didn't care that you were in pain?"

"No. Fucking asshole."

Lara frowned and stood up. She started searching through the first few cabinets where she had seen Mathias store the painkillers.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

There was a box of codeine on the top shelf. She checked inside and saw a full packet . She returned to Sam. "Take it," she said, offering them to her.

Sam furrowed her brow. "Lara, we can't take this," she said. "It's not ours, I'll get in trouble."

"Just take it." She opened the packet and took out a tablet. "If they ask, just say I took it. You're going to need it."

"Lara-"

"Please Sam, "she interrupted. "Just take them." She needed to do _something_ right today.

Sam took the tablet out of her hand and swallowed it with a sip of water. "Thank you," Lara said. She was glad Sam wouldn't have to suffer because of her.

Sam looked up at her, frowning slightly. "I'm worried about you, Lara," she said. "You've been acting strange the whole day. What's going on with you?"

Lara frowned down at her hands. Her knuckles had been torn from the beating she gave Grant and the blood had crusted over. "I don't know," she said, sitting next to Sam. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I-" The words caught in her throat for a second and she swallowed, painfully. "I killed Alex," she muttered. "I killed Vlad, and I don't even have a good reason for it."

She rubbed her eyes with her palms, her head suddenly aching. People had always compared her and Vladimir and Lara had always held that she was nothing like that bastard. But she had killed her friend, one of their own, and had shot a child without hesitation.

Vladimir had killed innocents, but Lara had killed him for no other reason than because he irked her. What if she was worse than Vlad?

She snorted, thinking of the sacrifice that her parents had made.

 _Lara, I love you…_

 _Stay strong, promise me._

They would have been so proud of her if they were alive to see the monster she'd become.

Sam wrapped an arm around her waist and hugged her, drawing her against her body. Lara rested her head on her chest and allowed herself to imagine that for one moment, they were a couple. That in another universe, Sam would actually feel the same way about her that Lara did.

"Hey, we'll get through this," Sam said. "I know it looks bad but you need to have faith."

Lara took a deep breath. "I'm leaving," she said, shattering the fantasy. She leaned back and found that she couldn't meet Sam's eyes. "I just came to tell you in person."

"What? Lara you can't give up!" Sam exclaimed, gripping her hands.

"I'm not." Now she looked up, into Sam's worried eyes. Brown, like hers, but much kinder and younger. "But I've put Roth in a hard position. He would never kill me, and I don't know if he'll exile me either. But if he doesn't, he's going to earn the wrath of the whole camp. It's just best for everyone if I leave."

"I'll come with you then," Sam said. Lara glanced at her, surprised. Sam blinked, as if she couldn't believe she had said the words herself but then nodded resolutely. "Yeah, I'll come with you."

Lara frowned and stood up. This didn't make sense. "Why would you do that?" she asked, "There's food, water, safety - you have everything you need here."

Sam looked at her. "Except you."

Lara could hear her heart beat in the silence. Did she mean…? Could she possibly feel the same way?

Sam stood up and stepped closer to her. Her chest fluttered unexpectedly. "Whatever happens," she said, cupping her cheek. "I'm with you. I promise."

"'Promise'?" she echoed. She had heard that word so many times, and each time it had always been broken. Whether from a stranger, a bandit shooting at her or her parents; the word was the equivalent of a man holding a gun to her head and saying 'trust me'.

She didn't want that disappointment again.

Sam ran her thumb over her lower lip. Heat rose to Lara's cheeks and she stopped breathing, afraid she would shatter this moment.

"I promise." Her eyes darted down to her lips and she leaned forward.

There was a gunshot.


	20. Ricochet

Sorry for the wait guys. Uploads should resume every Tuesday night (if you're Australian). thank you to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

 **Part 2**

Sam froze, her eyes opening slowly.

"What was that?" Lara whispered. Her breath was a puff against her lips.

She turned to look in the direction of the noise. "I don't know."

Lara pulled away from her and walked over to the door. Sam followed her tentatively, a bad feeling gnawing in her stomach.

Another gunshot.

Lara opened the door and peered outside. Sam waited for Lara to say something. Instead, she slipped out of the door and Sam followed her, closing the door softly behind her. She didn't know why she did it, but something warned her to be careful.

There was an overgrown hedge between the sight of the infirmary and the admin building. Lara crouched behind it and peered over whilst Sam looked around before joining her. The camp seemed eerily still, and she hadn't seen anyone else yet.

Between the leaves, she could see Mathias striding out into the open to meet a jogging Peter. Mathias spoke to him, his face stern and then gestured towards the infirmary. Sam noticed that there was a pistol in Mathias' hand, and a chill ran down her spine when she realised that Roth wasn't with him.

Lara realised what had happened the same time she did. "You bastard!" she hissed. She darted out of cover and Sam had to pull her back. "Let me go, Sam!"

"What are you going to do, Lara?" she said, pulling her down. "If you rush out there they're going to shoot you. You don't have a gun and neither do I."

Lara clenched her fists tight and gritted her teeth. "If that bastard-" she choked, "If that bastard killed Roth I'm going to tear him apart."

"Let's be smart about it at least." She peered over the hedge and saw that Peter was halfway here. He was Mathias' assistant and he was no doubt on his way to do something bad to them.

"This way." She grabbed Lara's hand and then led her behind the buildings and towards the wall of the resort. It was a circuitous route, but it was necessary. She had a feeling that if they were spotted by anyone they weren't going to make it out alive.

They reached the fence and then Sam ran along it towards the entrance of the resort. She could see Peter heading back to the infirmary and Mathias watching him go. He was guarding the back entrance of the admin building so they would need to use the front. Sam broke into a sprint and he soon disappeared out of their vision.

Lara was breathing heavily behind her. When they had a free path towards the building she threw caution to the wind and darted towards it. Sam cursed and looked around before running after her.

Lara's goddam recklessness was going to get them killed. Again.

She reached the building and Lara quietly opened the dirty glass door. At least she had that much sense after rushing headfirst in. Sam slipped in behind her then gently closed it. Her hand instinctively went to her gun but then she remembered she had no bullets.

"Roth!" Lara whispered. She ran over to her mentor who was lying on the floor. "No, no, no, no, no!"

Roth lay on the floor, motionless. There was a gaping red hole in his chest, near his heart. There was another wound in his head, small rivulets of blood streaming down his forehead. His eyes were open, blank and lifeless.

"Please…" Lara cried quietly, tears streaking down her face. "Don't… I can't do this without you."

Sam closed her eyes then looked out the back door. She could see Peter's head at the infirmary door and knew that they wouldn't have long until he found out they weren't there. Dmitri appeared from behind a building with who looked like Mary in front. He marched her out to where Mathias was standing and forced her to her knees.

Sam's heart rate quickened. She had been through this enough to know the revolt had started.

Lara was hugging Roth and sobbing into his chest. Sam hated to do this to her right now but they needed to go.

"Lara," she said, putting her hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, but we need to go."

Lara cried and shook her head against Roth's chest. This was a horrible thing to happen to someone and Sam vaguely wondered if this was how Lara had been when her parents died. All she wanted to do was to put her arms around her and hold her in some hope that she knew that she wasn't alone.

But they didn't have the time. "I'm so sorry Lara," she said, tugging her arm. "But we need to go now. Mathias is just outside and he's going to kill us if we stay."

Lara pushed herself up and clenched her jaw. She stared intensely at Roth's face and then ran a hand over it, closing his eyes. "I'm going to kill him," she muttered. She took Roth's two Remingtons and stood up, her eyes glinting like steel. "I'm going to fucking kill him." She took a step forward but Sam caught her shoulders.

"Lara!" she said glancing back outside frantically. "You can't go out there, he'll kill you!"

Lara's eyes glinted dangerously. Her tears had dried but her eyes and nose were red. "I'll kill him first," she hissed. She made to move but Sam stepped in front of her. "Get out of the way, Sam."

"Mathias is taking everyone who's not on his side out there Lara. I don't know what he's going to do to them, but if we go out there now, _he'll kill us._ "

Lara clenched her eyes shut. For a moment, her face contorted and Sam thought she was going to cry again. "Fine!" Lara snapped, turning away. "We'll go."

Lara didn't bother with quietly opening the door this time. She shoved it open and Sam winced, afraid that Mathias had heard them. Lara ran towards the lake, ducking behind trees, bushes and buildings without waiting for Sam.

They could hear people screaming and struggling as Mathias' people dragged them out of their homes and dumped them in front of Mathias. It was happening. All the tension had led up to this moment, and the volcano was finally erupting.

Sam felt the familiar tide of fear drag her back down. She didn't know if they would be able to escape, and if they did whether they would make it to tomorrow. It was everyone for themselves now, and she was always afraid she was going to lose.

Sam thought they were heading to the emergency evacuation meetup but then Lara diverted into her cabin.

What the fuck was she doing? She was going to get herself killed!

"Lara!" she hissed, following her. "There's no time to get your stuff! We need to go!"

Lara ran over to a table near the couch and ripped something from the underside. As she passed her, she shoved the gun into her hands.

"Now we can go," Lara said.

Sam gripped the gun and ran after her. It was good to have a weapon but they had just wasted precious time.

"There they are!" someone yelled. Sam glanced behind her and saw Charlie pointing at them.

"You idiot!" Peter said to him. Then, they both raised their pistols at them.

"Fuck!" Sam ducked and ran after Lara as they shot at them. A bullet grazed her arm, earning a grimace from her but she kept running.

Lara ran to the edge of the lake and then jumped into the water, between the reeds. She sunk down up to her neck and started swimming near the shore. Sam grimaced and then jumped in after her, shivering as the water seeped through her clothes.

"What are they doing?!"

"Dive!" Lara yelled, and disappeared under the water.

Sam took a deep breath and then dived, seeing bullets ripple the water in front of her. She stroked her arms quickly through the water, praying that Charlie and Peter wouldn't shoot at her location. She could vaguely make out Lara in the murky water in front of her and followed her, trying to dive deeper.

Pressure started to build in her chest and it felt like it was going to burst. Sam tried to keep it all in, but she was weak, and burst through the surface, gasping for air.

"There!"

She dived immediately again and flailed backwards to avoid the bullets passing in front of her. Then, she summoned what energy she had and swam frantically after Lara. The muted gunshots and swears from Charlie and Peter could still be heard above her.

Sam could feel the wall of the shore next to her as they swam around a bend. If she could make it a few meters further she might be able to safely surface. Up ahead, the water splashed on the surface. Sam came up next to Lara and gasped, taking deep breaths.

"This…way," Lara breathed.

Sam glanced over her shoulder. A cluster of rocks obscured their view from Charlie and Peter. They were safe, at least for now.

Lara swam forwards and climbed out onto the shore between two rocks. She turned around to help Sam up. There wasn't much space here due to the shrubs that grew on the shore but Sam could see how it was a good escape route; from afar, you couldn't see that there was a way out unless you knew of it.

Sam stepped carefully through the weeds that littered the floor and brushed through her damp jeans. Lara must have discovered this path a while ago and it had become her alternate escape route.

"Are we going to the evac zone?" Sam asked, panting. The codeine had kicked in a while ago but she was still nervous of worsening her injury. The strain she put on her lungs must not have helped.

"No," Lara said, squeezing her hair dry. "They'll be waiting there. It's too dangerous."

They cleared the shore and the land turned into forest. Lara weaved through the trees and then stopped at the root of a large tree. Its branches formed a canopy above them whilst the roots were thick enough to climb on.

Lara picked up a small sheet of bark leaning against a root and then started scraping a patch of dirt with it.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked. She looked around and brushed her wet hair back from her face. There was no one around, but she didn't want to stay here for too long.

Lara ignored her and kept digging. She hit something in the dirt and then threw away the bark, scraping at the object with her hands. She pulled up a large waterproof backpack and then brushed off the dirt before slinging it over her shoulders.

"My emergency supplies." Lara answered before she could ask. All sadness had washed away now, replaced by pragmatism. "In case anything ever happened. Come on."

"Where are we going to go?" Sam asked, shivering as a gust of wind blasted her wet clothes.

"To the orchard maybe, or that town. As far away from this place as possible."

Sam had no arguments about that. The sooner she could get away, the better.

They walked through the forest, Sam keeping her ears open for any sound of Mathias' men running after them. Lara powered on ahead, quick strides that forced Sam to half-jog to keep up. She had the same dark glint in her eye that she had after Alex had died, and the same stiffness and power to her movements after she had killed Vlad.

Sam prayed that this wasn't part two. They had already lost two people, and now they lost the resort - their home. She wanted to believe that this wasn't Lara but she was going on a downhill path and Sam didn't know what she was going to do next.

They reached a dirt trail leading away from the camp and Lara headed along it.

Lara suddenly stopped moving and held out a hand to stop her. Sam froze and looked around frantically for any sign of Peter or Charlie.

There was rustling behind them.

Lara and Sam spun around, drawing their guns. Jonah and Reyes stood behind them with their guns also aimed at them.

Sam relaxed at the sight of her friends and lowered her gun. "Jonah, Reyes," she breathed.

Jonah and Reyes lowered their guns and Jonah let out a huge sigh. "Thank god you guys are alright," he said. "We thought you got caught. Why are you wet?"

"We swam out of there," Lara said, lowering her gun.

"Have you seen Alisha?" Reyes asked. "She was helping Chen with the fruit stocks and I haven't seen her since."

"I'm sorry, but we haven't," Sam said.

"Dammit!" She clenched her fist and rubbed her face angrily. "What the fuck happened?" she snapped, turning towards hem. "There were two gunshots and then Mathias' fucking lackeys started rounding everyone up like lambs for slaughter."

Sam looked at Lara who looked at her shoes. How were they supposed to tell her that her boyfriend was dead?

"Roth is…dead," Sam said slowly. "He was killed by Mathias."

Reyes stilled and narrowed her eyes at them. "You're joking," she said, her voice hard. She shook her head. "You guys are joking. He can't be…"

"I'm sorry, Reyes."

Reyes shook her head even more and ran a hand through her hair. "No…no!" she growled. She turned away from them and Jonah put a hand on her shoulder. Sam had no comforting words for her. Her daughter was missing and her lover had just died. There wasn't much you could say.

Reyes turned back to them and glared at Lara. "What did you do?" she growled.

Lara looked up and met her eyes quietly.

"It wasn't Lara's fault," Sam said automatically. "Roth and Mathias were…discussing something…and then Mathias killed him."

Reyes scowled, her eyes still on Lara. "We all heard what happened," she said. "How Lara went ballistic and killed Alex and Vlad - two of our own."

"That wasn't my fault," Lara growled. "I had too."

"You ' _had too'_? What, you had to go and kill everybody just because you didn't like them?! My daughter is missing and Roth is dead because of you!"

"Mathias killed him!" Lara snapped. "Do you think I wanted that? Do you think I want people to die?!"

"I think you don't give a shit about anyone but yourself!" Reyes yelled. "Everyone around you seems to die, and it's happened too much now for it to be a coincidence!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sam saw Lara's hand snake towards her gun.

"Enough," Jonah said, putting his hands up. "This arguing is senseless. We need to go find Alisha."

Reyes and Lara started at each other angrily. Lara was still gripping her pistol and Sam wasn't sure if she was going to shoot Reyes when they both turned away at the same time.

Sam exhaled and watched the Englishwoman grit her teeth. She wanted to go up to Lara, shake her by her shoulders and scream at her; ' _What the fuck are you thinking?'_

"I don't know where Alisha is," Reyes muttered, pacing in front of them. "I told her that she should go to the emergency evac place if we ever were separated but Mathias' men would be there…"

"We need to get as far away from here as we can," Lara interrupted, turning back to them. "Mathias' men will be hunting us. Do you really think it's a good idea to stay here?."

"My _daughter_ is missing," Reyes scowled, stopping and turning to her. "And you're suggesting we _run away_?"

"I don't want to Reyes, but we need to be smart about this." Lara was way too calm about this situation. It was the stoic defence that she retreated behind when things got tough, but now wasn't the time for this.

"Lara, we need to find Alisha," Sam said. "We can't just abandon her."

Lara scowled at her, like she couldn't believe she was suggesting something moral. "You want to march back in there?" she asked. "You want to risk your life for a suicide mission? You don't even know where she is! We'll be killed before we even find her, let alone escape the resort again."

"Do you really want more people to die?" Sam retorted. Why was this cold logic surfacing now?

Reyes snorted. "She doesn't care about people. Have you seen the trail of bodies she leaves behind?"

"I didn't kill him, Reyes!" Lara snapped suddenly. The tears had started again. "Roth was my mentor, my friend, the closest thing I had to a father! Stop blaming me for his death!"

"You weren't his real daughter!" Reyes yelled. "Alisha was, and now you've just killed her father!"

Lara widened her eyes in surprise. Sam looked at Reyes, unsure if she heard correctly. Roth was Alisha's father?

This was surprising... And judging by Lara and Jonah's silence they hadn't known either. Reyes had always told everyone that Alisha's father was 'some bastard, not ready to be a father'. Roth must not have known either then, and Sam wondered how Reyes could keep a secret like that hidden for so long, when you were still sleeping with the father.

Reyes shook her head and walked away from them. Jonah glanced meaningfully at Sam, saying 'I'll go after her' with his eyes and then turned away.

Lara walked over to a nearby root and flopped down on it. She put her head in her hands like she was suddenly tired.

Sam waited until Jonah and Reyes had walked out of hearing distance and then said to Lara, "You were going to shoot her."

Lara looked up at her, eyes bewildered. "What? No I wasn't."

"I saw your hand, Lara," Sam growled, irritated that she would lie to her. "You were reaching for your gun."

Lara looked down at the ground, at her hands in front of her. "I wasn't going to shoot her," she muttered quietly.

Another lie. "You 'weren't going to shoot her'?" She laughed bitterly. "I've seen how you resolve things recently; you can't tell me you 'weren't going to shoot her'."

Lara closed her eyes and frowned.

Sam sighed. It was a sunny day, but each breeze made her whole body chill through her wet clothes. She hugged herself for warmth. "Look, I know this isn't an ideal situation but we need to get through this together. There is a chance that Alisha is still alive and you can't take that hope away from Reyes or the rest of us. There isn't much else we have."

"I'm going to leave." Lara suddenly said.

Sam double took. "What?"

"I'm leaving," Lara repeated, opening her eyes. "I'm going to leave. Now."

Sam stared at her, mouth agape. A wave of panic swamped her lungs, threatened to drown her. Lara was leaving, abandoning her just like everyone else did.

"I-I can't stay here Sam," Lara continued. "Reyes wants me dead and everything is just a painful reminder of what I did."

Sam snorted and shook her head. "So you're going to run?" she said, biting her lower lip to keep the tears from falling. They finally had a family and friends, and she was abandoning them. "Just leave us all to fend for ourselves?"

Lara stood up and clenched her jaw. "I want you to come with me, Sam," she said.

Sam stared at her stunned. A horrible part of her jumped up in hope - that Lara wanted to do this with her, only _her_.

But then she thought about Reyes and Alisha, a grieving mother and a lost daughter. After finding out that Alisha was Roth's daughter, shouldn't Lara have cared more? Owed it to Roth to find her?

But she didn't, because this was Lara. Always putting herself first, never caring about how other felt. This was just a trap, and at the earliest sign of trouble Lara would leave her, just like how she was leaving everyone else now.

"Why do you want me to come with you?" she snarled. "So you can leave me as well?"

"I wouldn't leave you, Sam," Lara insisted, grabbing her hand. "Everyone I cared about has died and I don't want to lose you too."

Sam couldn't believe her audacity. She pulled her hand away. "Reyes' daughter is missing and she just lost Roth," she said. Lara closed her eyes at that. "Don't you care about them at all?!"

"Of course I care!" Lara yelled back, her eyes snapping open. "But I can't do this. It's too hard."

"It's too hard for you?" Did the self-pitying stop? " _Alisha_ is missing, Alex is dead, Vlad is dead and Roth is dead - all, in some way, caused by _you_." She pointed a finger at her. "We've lost the resort and everything's gone to shit, just like it always does, and of course _you_ want to run away!"

Lara stared at her wordlessly, her mouth twisted in a grimace. She looked like she was going to say something but Sam continued.

"You always do this Lara; you did this with Emily before and you clearly haven't changed since then. How do I know that I can trust you anymore?"

Lara said nothing. She bit her lower lip and looked away, squeezing her eyes shut as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Okay," she muttered, nodding to herself. "Okay."

Sam realised that she might have crossed the line and felt a wave of guilt wash over her. "Lara-" she began.

"No, it's fine. I get it." She opened her eyes but didn't look at her. "Just stay and… be safe." Without glancing up, she walked past her.


	21. Birthright

Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

Lara jogged along the road, embracing the tightness in her chest and the burn in her muscles. She had attracted the attention of two biters who were shambling just behind her. They had followed her, growling and screeching as she just kept ahead of them.

There was a car up ahead which had crashed into a tree. Its front bonnet was crumpled like a can, but the back was fine.

Lara sprinted ahead of the biters and slipped into the back seat. She slammed the door shut and the biters started scratching at the windows.

Lara took her large backpack off and put it on the floor. The driver had long turned and was pinned against the seat and the front. As she watched, he twisted around and tried to reach her with half an arm.

There was a bag next to him, flung onto the dashboard. Lara took out her knife and plunged the metal into its skull. She let the head drop, knife and all, and reached around it to grab the bag.

The biters outside were still banging on the window. Lara opened the bag, which was stained with dry blood, and looked inside. There was a bag of crushed chips, a Pride and Prejudice book, and an army canteen half full of liquid.

Lara opened the canteen and sniffed the contents. It wasn't water, but instead the strong fumes of alcohol wafted into her nose.

Whiskey. Perfect.

Lara dropped the bag and moved to the other side of the car, putting her feet up on the seats. She took a swig of whiskey and coughed at the hot track it made down her throat. Even so, she took another sip, craving the sweet numbness that she had heard people talk about so much.

The biters were still growling and scratching outside the window, but Lara was remembering the first time she had tried whiskey.

 _She was ten, and her parents were out at a conference. She was stuck with two men, watching football in a dingy bar._

 _Lara tugged on the cargos of one of the men, curious about the drink he was holding._

" _Haha okay! But don't tell your daddy, alright?"_

 _Roth lifted her onto his lap and handed her his glass of bronze liquid…_

Lara shook her head and snapped out of the past.

She ran a hand over her face and took a deep draught from the bottle until she was coughing from the burning in her throat.

 _I need you to promise me you'll stay strong, Lara._

Lara sniffed and stared past the biters, her hand going to the pendant at her throat. She couldn't think about that. The promise she had madeShe made a promise.

But she found herself thinking anyways. Thinking of Roth, of Reyes, of Alisha - his daughter…

She had killed him.

Lara might as well have shot him herself. He had died for her, protecting her from Mathias.

If only she hadn't been so stupid.

If only she had controlled herself - wasn't such an impulsive killer.

Then maybe Roth would be alive.

Maybe she wouldn't be alone.

She felt tears spring into her eyes again. Before her tongue could protest she drank from the canteen. It burnt, and it didn't taste nice, but it made her forget about the well of sadness inside of her.

Lara took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning back against the door. She wished that Sam was here, maybe holding her in a hug or stroking her hair.

She snorted. That wasn't going to happen, though. Sam thought she was insane, unstable and a murderer. She blamed her for everything that went wrong, and rightly so. But Lara thought she was different. She wanted to believe she was different. And when they almost kissed, Lara knew that she would do anything for her.

But Lara was a fool, wasn't she? Sam had played her like a fiddle. Had they even been about to kiss? Or was that part of her delusion as well?

Sam had promised. She had _promised_ , and after Lara had allowed herself to believe her she had instantly broken that promise.

Lara could feel the prickle of tears in her eyes and she dug her nails into her palm until they went away. Why would she do that to her? Why would she lie to her like that?

She sunk down in her seat until she was lying down.

 _Stay strong, Lara, promise me._

She was being stupid. All this self-pity. She needed to pull herself together and find somewhere she could go. Somewhere she could start anew.

Swansea maybe. Past where Mathias would look. A place where she could forget about her sins.

Lara rubbed her eyes again and swished the canteen. Still about a quarter left, but it was already taking effect. Already her mind had started to disconnect from her body, her eyelids tugging close. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, so the effect was twice as potent.

Lara took another sip so she could ignore the biters outside and lay back. She would let herself drift, just for an hour, until she could get up again.

"Help…!"

Lara sat up and looked around. Did someone just call for help? Or was the whiskey getting to her?

"Help! Someone! Please!"

Lara looked out the back window. It was blurry, but she could see three people running down the road. The biters at her window turned and started shambling towards the new target. Lara opened the door so she could get a clearer look outside.

There was a girl with dark skin being chased by two biters.

With a start, Lara realised that was Alisha.

"Alisha!" Lara scrambled out the door, reaching for her pistol. Holy shit, she was alive! The biters were already a few metres in front of her, heading for Alisha.

As soon as Lara stood up she stumbled, falling to one knee. Her head spun and it took a lot of effort to focus and get up again. "Alisha, hold on!" She shot at the biters in front of her.

She didn't know if Alisha heard her but she darted to the side of the road and started climbing a tree.

Lara shot at the biters, her shots going off-centre too many times. She managed to kill one but the other got way too close before she managed to shoot it.

The gunfire had attracted the biters chasing Alisha. Good. If she could at least save her that might make up for the things she's done.

 _Click. Click._

"Fuck!" She had forgotten to reload.

Lara dropped the gun and went for her axe. She ran to the side of the nearest biter and swung at it, smashing it through the skull. The point lodged in its head and Lara wasn't able to jerk it back out. She was forced to drop it.

Her heart jumped into her throat as the last one lunged at her. Lara put her arm up to shield herself just as the biter bit her arm. Her leather jacket was thick enough that it couldn't hurt her.

She reached down to get her knife but found that it was missing from its usual place. Where was it? Where the fuck did it go?

Its teeth were tight around her arm. She tried to buck it off so she could gain some ground but it was much stronger than her.

There was a squelch and the biter went limp on top of her. Alisha pulled her knife back out and Lara leaned back, taking a ragged breath.

"Lara!" Alisha exclaimed. She helped push the biter off her. "Are you okay?!" Lara staggered to her knees and Alisha hugged her tightly.

"I'm fine," Lara said, hugging her back. "Thank you."

"Crap, I didn't think anyone was going to come," she said, letting go. "I'm so glad to see you. You saved my life. Thank you so much!"

Lara smiled and rubbed her shoulder. Alisha was alive. Reyes would be happy once she found out. "It's okay," she said, looking around. "What happened to you?"

Alisha helped her up. "Chen and I escaped to the boulders as soon as we saw Dmitri drag Mary out of her cabin. We waited there, and I thought my mom would come, but then Brent came towards us and tried to get us to go back. I didn't trust him, so when he turned his back I ran.

"I headed towards Bath, hoping I would find my mom there. But then I ran into these biters who started chasing me…and the rest you know."

Lara nodded. "I'm glad you're safe." Alisha had good instincts, like Roth. They would serve her well.

"Where are the others?" Alisha asked as Lara picked up her weapons again. "Is my mum with you?"

Lara paused. She didn't know where Reyes was and didn't know how to explain the falling out she had with the group. "Umm…"she began, "No she isn't…"

Alisha's expression fell. "She's not…she made it out right?"

"What? Yes, she did!" She said quickly. "Umm, the last time I saw her she was fine. She was looking for you."

Alisha sighed in relief and nodded. "Where is she now?"

Lara shook her head. "I don't know. We separated a few hours ago. I think she was heading towards the orchard."

She pressed her lips in a line. "Why aren't you with them, Lara? Did something happen?"

Lara looked away. "We had…a disagreement, Alisha. After that I decided to head my own way whilst your mum would keep looking for you."

"Oh." Alisha looked down at the biters on the ground. "I guess you don't want to meet up with them again then."

Lara looked at her. Alisha was giving her an out. She didn't even know what had happened between them but she was giving her an out.

She didn't want to go back; back to face Reyes' wrath, Jonah's disappointment and Sam's…Sam's condemnation. But she owed it to Alisha. She owed it to Roth, to save his daughter.

Lara bowed her head at the thought. "I'll help you find your mum," she said. She owed that much to Roth at least.

Alisha looked up at her skeptically, but there was some relief in her voice. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"It's okay, Alisha." She walked back over to the car and retrieved her bag. Her knife was still lodged in the biter's head and grabbed it, cursing herself for her carelessness. Now that adrenaline had sobered her up, she could think of a hundred ways she could have handled the situation better.

"Here, take this." She gave Alisha the driver's bag and transferred a few cans of food and a bottle of water to it so her own bag wasn't so heavy. She also pulled out a new clip for the pistol she had wasted and then two more.

Lara took out one of Roth's Remington's and looked down at it. Roth had had these since the start of the apocalypse, she remembered. They had served him well, protected him through tough battles. As much as she wanted to keep both of them, she knew that if Roth knew, he would want Alisha to have one.

"Here," she said, handing the gun to Alisha. "This was Roth's. I think he'd like you to have it."

Alisha took the gun and looked at it, confused. "Why would Roth want me to have it?" she asked slowly.

Lara stared at her. Of course she didn't know. Reyes hadn't told anyone, even her own daughter. She wondered why in the world she would do that.

Lara sighed. "I'll tell you about it on the way back."

* * *

Lara told Alisha about what happened at the resort. It was hard admitting her involvement, but Alisha deserved to know the truth, especially what happened to Roth. She told her about what she did to Alex and Vladimir, and how Roth had tried to protect her after that.

She had then told her about her parentage. Alisha was less shocked than she thought she would be.

"I thought he might be," she had said quietly. "The way mom would talk about him sometimes, I got the feeling."

She then became quiet. Lara left her alone, letting her think. It was a lot to digest for a fourteen year old. Lara was waiting for her to connect the dots, to realise that she had killed her father. She expected her to yell at her, scowl, scream about what a terrible person she was, but it never came.

It was only when they had made camp for the night that she spoke again. "I wish my mom had told me," Alisha said. "I would have liked to know Roth as my dad. We hung out, and he taught me things like how to defend myself, but we never did in a father-daughter way."

 _You weren't his real daughter…_

Lara remained silent and looked at the ground between her feet. Roth had taught her so much and she owed her life to him. Ever since her father died, Roth had been there for her. If he hadn't been around, she wouldn't have been able to hunt, to make a fire, to cook, to shoot a gun or to survive.

But Alisha didn't have that opportunity. Lara had stolen Roth's time when she wasn't even related to him. It was wrong.

"I'm sorry," Lara murmured, her voice cracking. "You should have been able to. It's my fault. I'm so sorry."

Alisha watched her quietly. "How are you feeling Lara?"

Lara shook her head and wiped her nose. "You just lost your father. I should be asking you how you're feeling."

"Well…you were pretty much his daughter too. He loved you."

 _You weren't his real daughter…_

Lara snorted, but it came out as a sniff. "I wasn't his real one."

"Does it matter? He loved you. And you loved him."

When Alisha put it that way - when it came out of her mouth, she realised that it didn't.

Alisha was so nice to her - Lara didn't understand it. The girl was always years more perceptive and mature beyond her biological age but still, Lara didn't deserve this.

 _Everyone around you dies_. "You're mum blames me for his death," Lara mumbled. She looked up at her, into blue eyes that reminded her so much of her late mentor. "I don't understand why you don't."

Alisha looked down. "I am angry at you a little, Lara," she admitted quietly. "I know it wasn't your fault, but I still wish you hadn't done that - been so brash. It's not your fault that my mom didn't tell me, though.

"And besides, you lost him too. I know you're beating yourself up, but you have the right to grieve just like everyone else."

Lara closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. She rested her chin on her knees and hugged her legs. "I miss him," she whispered. "I wish he was still here."

Alisha walked around the campfire and sat next to her. She hugged her and rested her head on her shoulder. "So do I," she muttered.

Lara felt tears prickle her eyes. She didn't deserve such warmth, especially from Alisha.

Everyone in her life always seemed to die. She didn't know why it kept happening to her, but she was so tired of it. Lara was glad for this small moment with someone whose kindness she didn't deserve.

 _Her dad's eyes glimmered in the low light. It had been such a horrible day, but Lara felt secure in his arms._

" _I need you to promise me you'll stay strong, Lara."_

Lara cleared her throat and pushed Alisha away gently. "Umm, you should get some sleep," she said. "We need to wake up early tomorrow if we're to catch up with your mum."

Alisha curled up next to her and yawned. "Okay. Make sure you wake me up for my watch."

Lara didn't think she would do that. She doubted she would sleep anyways, and she felt better watching over Alisha. "Okay. Good night."


	22. Words are Wind

Thanks for the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

"It's been a day," Reyes growled, striding ahead. "Where could she have gone?"

It's been more than a day, Sam thought, but she didn't say it aloud.

It was day two of the time since they had fled the resort. Twilight, to be precise. They had been walking all day, heading towards the orchard in search of Alisha. They walked slowly, scanning the fields and once in a while calling out, but there was no sign of Alisha.

"We should head for this town," Jonah suggested. "We need food and water, and we're not going to get it out here."

That was true. Sam hadn't eaten since yesterday and her only source of water was from the heavy dew on the grass around them.

"We need to keep looking for Alisha," Reyes scowled. "She _has_ be out here somewhere."

Sam didn't want to suggest the possibility that Alisha might have been taken at the resort. She wasn't usually a pessimist but she had taken over that role since Lara walked away.

"We can look for whilst we head for the town. If Alisha headed towards the orchard as well then she might stop there."

Reyes gritted her teeth but nodded reluctantly. "I should have been smarter," she said, starting off again at a slower pace. "I should have come up with a plan in case the resort fell." She had been blaming herself since they started searching.

"I'm not sure anyone could have seen that coming," Jonah said. "Especially not from inside."

"We were too complacent - idiots for thinking that we would be safe. We can't afford to do that again." She sighed and glanced at Sam. "Sam, how far until the town, do you think?"

Sam licked her lips. "A day? Maybe two? I'm not sure." Her voice was hoarse from parchedness. She only spoke when they asked her a question, otherwise she remained quiet, lost in her own thoughts.

As Reyes and Jonah continued onwards, Sam followed them silently. She missed Lara, and wished she was here.

Sam took out a polaroid from a ziplock bag in her pocket. It was a picture of her and Lara back in that house at Bath. An arm was wrapped loosely around her waist and they were both smiling into the camera.

She had spent an hour staring at this picture last night, thinking about how cute Lara was… and how stupid she was.

She shouldn't have said those things. The crestfallen look Lara had after she called her _stupid_ and _unstable_ broke her heart. She regretted the words as soon as she said them yet she couldn't take them back - Lara had already gone.

It wasn't Lara's fault, not really. Sam had just been angry at herself - she could see that now. She was afraid that Lara was going to leave her, but felt guilty for leaving Reyes and Jonah if she went with her.

But she had been frustrated with the whole situation - how she had lost yet another safe haven, how so many of her friends had died and how the woman she liked seemed to keep revealing these darker, uglier sides of herself.

In the end she had just blamed Lara. It was easier, as it was so frustrating to have no one to blame.

But it wasn't fair. Lara lost Roth as well, and she must have been feeling guilty as hell without Sam compounding her grief.

"Shit, hide!" Sam looked up and saw a ute coming towards them. It's headlights shone bright in the gloom and Sam recognised it as the same vehicle that had passed them this morning. Will and Dmitri were in there, looking for them.

 _Fuck._ Sam put the photo back in her jacket and ran after Jonah and Reyes into the tall grass. She could see several biters walking through the field and there were woods a few hundred metres back but it was too far to run to now.

It hurt a little to run, but Sam forced herself to ignore the pain. The codeine was working but she only had a few tablets left. She wasn't sure how long she would need them, and all this exertion wasn't exactly speeding up the healing process.

Sam ran a few more metres through the grass and then ducked into it, lying on her back. The grass itched and reached half a metre above her head. It was shorter here than the grass they had hidden in before but she prayed that the darkness would help conceal her.

Her heart thumped in her chest as she heard the ute screech to a stop. She couldn't see from this angle, but she could hear them talking to each other.

"I swear I saw something here," a man said. It was Will, she realised. A bitter taste formed in her mouth. Will wasn't her friend, she reminded herself. He had tried to rape her and he only looked out for himself. It didn't surprise her that he would do what Mathias said if it meant that he would stay alive.

A flashlight swept the area above her and Sam swallowed. She heard the biters screech and run towards her.

Sam drew her knife and gripped it, trying to keep her breathing quiet and steady. If she didn't move, there was a chance the biters wouldn't see her. But if they tripped on her it was very likely she'd be killed. Her immunity wasn't going to do shit against her throat being torn out.

"I think I see something!" Will shouted. An assault rifle buzzed as Sam saw bullets fly above her.

A biter landed next to her, growling with a spray of foul smelling breath. Sam bit her tongue harshly, drawing blood, and pinned its head on the ground with a hand. Reaching over with the other, she stabbed it once until it stilled.

She looked back up but the light had moved on. The screeches came closer, and she couldn't discern how many biters there were. She didn't know where Reyes and Jonah were, but she hoped they were safe.

"It's just biters," Dmitri growled. "Stop wasting bullets. We try again tomorrow."

Sam held her breath and heard them drive off. She stood up quickly and watched the backlights disappear in the distance.

A scream sounded to her side and Sam lashed out with her knife. It stabbed a biter that had just been about to attack her through the head and it collapsed. The weight dragged her down with it, and her knife was stuck in its head.

"Fuck!" Sam looked up and saw Jonah grappling with two biters a few metres away. Five more were approaching them, drawn by Will and his stupid gunfire. She looked down and tugged the knife back and forth, but it didn't want to come out.

Sam didn't know how Jonah was still alive but he looked like he was losing against the biters. "Jonah!" She ran over to him but tripped into another biter, landing on her side and winding her.

Sam struggled with it, pushing it away from her neck whilst its hands swiped at her. Her limbs felt like lead as her muscles burned from the day's exhaustion, and she wasn't sure she could hold it off.

"Lara!" Jonah yelled, followed by a sharp crack.

What?!

Suddenly something slammed into the skull above her and the biter was wretched off her. Sam stared up at Lara as she knelt down in front of her, their eyes locking. "Are you okay?" Lara asked breathlessly, holding out a hand.

Sam stared at her, shocked at her presence. Lara blushed as her eyes tore away from hers. Sam's heart sank as the naïve hope that Lara had forgotten what she had said was quenched.

Lara stood up and turned around…

…to be hit by Reyes.

"Argh!" Lara stumbled backwards, clutching her left eye protectively.

Sam jumped up and stood in front of Lara. "What the fuck, Reyes?" she yelled. "Lara just saved us; what the fuck are you doing?"

"She left us!" Reyes said, pointing a finger behind her. "Do you think you can just waltz back into our group, Croft?"

"I found Alisha…" Lara murmured.

"What?" They all said at once. Sam turned around to look at her.

Lara straightened and looked past her, breathing evenly. "I found Alisha," she repeated, louder. "She's in a safe place."

"Where?" Reyes said, shoving Sam out of the way.

"She's nearby. This way." Lara winced and walked through the grass, back from where they had come.

Alisha was waiting by a lone tree not far from them. She was clutching a gun nervously, looking left and right. Her face brightened when she saw Reyes. "Mom!" She smiled and ran towards her.

"Alisha!" Reyes ran forward and embraced her daughter in a tight hug.

Sam watched from the distance with a smile. Everything was so shit recently, it was nice that there was at least one small glimmer of hope remaining.

Lara moved to the side, lips downturned. Sam watched her touch her eye and she felt her heart speed up. She needed to talk to Lara, to apologise for what she said. But she was worried Lara wouldn't want to hear it; She had seemed so hurt when she had left and when she had returned.

Sam took a breath and then walked over to her. "Hey…" Sam said awkwardly. Lara lifted her eyes to her. "Are you okay? That looked like a pretty hard hit."

"I'm fine," she said brusquely. She slung her bag off her back and drank from a water bottle.

Sam ignored her sudden thirst and decided on a new strategy. "Thank you for saving me. Us. I didn't think you'd come back."

Lara's eyes drifted behind her. "I couldn't leave Alisha," she said. "I owed her that much."

She was quiet - almost mumbling - but Sam could detect a hint of guilt in her voice. She wanted to reach out and hug her but she didn't think Lara would like that.

"You did a good thing," Sam said. "I know Reyes might not show it, but she appreciates it."

Lara glared at her silently. She slung her bag back on and started forward, and Sam realised she was going to leave. She stepped in front of her quickly. Lara glanced up and met her eyes for a moment and Sam could see anguish in them before she looked away.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm sorry about what I said. I was angry at you for leaving, but I didn't mean it. I just…" _like you. A lot._ "…I was an idiot, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you, and I just want you to know that."

Lara nodded, not meeting her eyes. "Okay." She stepped past her and Sam felt her heart sink.

"Please don't go," she blurted out. She turned around and saw that Lara had stopped. "I…I missed you." That was an understatement but Sam had no idea how else to articulate her feelings.

Lara didn't respond. Sam thought she heard a sniffle. "I'm sure you did." She started away again.

"Let me come with you, then," Sam suggested frantically. "You said that we made a good team, didn't you?"

"You'd only slow me down."

"Lara!" Alisha called. Lara stopped and turned to the girl jogging towards her. "Are you leaving?"

Lara didn't look the girl in the eye. "Yeah…I think it's for the best," she said.

"You don't have to leave," Reyes said, stepping forward. She may have looked bashful. "I'm…I'm sorry for hitting you. And for the things I said. You brought my daughter back to me and I can't thank you enough for that. Mathias is still looking for us and I think it's safer if we stay together."

Lara sighed. "I don't want to cause trouble…"

"You won't," Alisha said. "Come on, stay. Please?"

Lara glanced at Sam for a quick second then back at Alisha. Her features softened and she sighed again, her shoulders relaxing. "Okay. Maybe just for tonight."

Alisha smiled and Sam saw Lara's lip twitch. She didn't know what had happened between them that they were such good friends but she was glad Lara was staying. She couldn't leave things the way they were.

"We need to get away from here," Jonah said. "There are bound to be more biters here soon because of Will and Dmitri."

"We passed a pond before," Alisha suggested. "We refilled our water bottles there. Biters might pass by but if they don't it will be a nice place to rest."

They walked back through the fields into a small valley. Sam couldn't see it in the dark but eventually they reached a small pond with a patch of dirt on one side. They made camp there, navigating the area by the light of the full moon and their torches.

Lara and Alisha had food, which they shared with them. Sam ate ravenously, ready meals never tasting better. They drank water from the pond which had been cleaned with two drops of iodine. She kept glancing over at Lara who was sitting against a boulder and playing with her jade pendant.

Sam chewed slowly on her food, thinking about what to say to her. Apologising didn't work, so she needed to get Lara to actually listen to her. She needed to just tell her how she felt, before she ran away again.

But she had never done that before. She hadn't ever felt this way about anyone before and she was scared to how Lara would react.

They could die tomorrow though, or in an hour, and Sam couldn't leave this world without trying to repair what she had broken.

Everyone settled down to sleep after they had finished eating. Lara had offered to take first watch, which gave Sam the perfect chance to talk to her. She sat there, chewing her lip until she was sure everyone else was asleep. Then, she stood up and quietly walked over to Lara.

Lara didn't move when she approached, nor said anything when she sat down. Sam took a breath before speaking. "Hey…again," she started. She instantly wanted to hit herself.

 _Smooth, Sam, well done._

Lara didn't reply.

"Umm…thank you for the food. You've been saving me a lot lately." When Lara still didn't reply, she tried again. "I…I meant what I said before Lara. I'm so sorry that I hurt you."

Lara said nothing, but she leaned back against the rock and stared at her shoes.

 _All or nothing Sam._

Sam swallowed a lump in her throat and forced the words out of her mouth. "Look…I…I like you Lara. I _really_ do. And-"

"Stop."

Sam closed her mouth.

Lara rubbed her temples. "Just stop, Sam." Her voice was tired. "I understand. I know why you're doing all this."

"…huh?" What did she mean?

Lara looked at her, her eyes broken, sharp. "I protect you," she said, "I look after you. And I understand why you would stay close to me. I don't blame you." She swallowed, hard. "But I won't be used anymore, so stop trying."

Sam didn't know where to start. When had she ever been dependent on Lara's help? "That is _not_ the reason why I like you Lara!" she began. "I-"

"Just go to sleep, Sam," she interrupted, looking away again. Her lower lip was trembling.

No. Sam couldn't leave it like this. "Lara-"

"Please," Lara begged, her voice cracking. "Just leave me alone."

Sam stared at her mutely. She had tried, and Lara didn't want to hear it. She didn't want anything to do with her.

She turned away from Lara and moved to the spot furthest away from her. There, she lay down and tried not to cry as she fell asleep.


	23. Safe and Sound

Thanks for the reviews! And thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

Lara trudged along the muddy road, breathing deeply through her mouth. Her body was working on autopilot - her mind had disconnected from her thoughts and her eyelids were drooping close. She hadn't slept much in the last two days and it was starting to affect her.

 _Stay strong Lara._

Her legs ached and she just wanted to drop down on the floor and rest. She needed to keep moving though - they needed to get to safety.

 _Got to keep going._

They didn't have much ammo. They only had what was in the clips and against the rifles and shotguns of Mathias' men, they wouldn't stand much of a chance. Lara had tried fletching more arrows but she had nothing to make the fletchings out of.

"Lara!" Lara snapped her head up and glanced over her shoulder. "Could you slow down?" Jonah asked.

Lara looked back forward and stopped walking. She took the moment to regain her energy as she put her hands on her hips.

In retrospect, staying had been such a foolish idea. The only reason she did was because of Alisha, and now even that reasoning was wearing thin. She and Alisha had bonded over Roth's death and Lara felt compelled to stay with her.

At first, she thought that it was because she liked the girl - and she did - but now she realised that she was being selfish. Alisha gave her some absolution for Roth's death, and she wanted that right now. But with Reyes and Sam around now, she couldn't forget what she had done.

Roth, dead. The resort lost. Them, fleeing from their own people.

It was no wonder she didn't sleep last night.

Sam blamed her for what had happened. It was painful being around her, and she needed to keep reminding herself that Sam was just faking it. She wasn't sorry and she didn't like her. She was just using her - Sam seemed like that kind of person.

She couldn't fall for that again.

"You need to wait for us," Reyes growled. "Splitting up is how people get killed."

Lara turned and continued walking.

 _Stay strong Lara._

"We need to get off the road." Reyes said. "It's too dangerous."

 _Got to keep going._

"Lara, are you listening?"

"We need to get to safety," she said. "We need to go."

Reyes grabbed her arm and turned her around. Lara glared at her for a moment but then lost the energy to do so and just stared. "Listen to me," Reyes growled. "We need to get off the road."

"The road is the fastest way," she said, panting. "We stay on the road."

"It's dangerous," Alisha said.

"Mathias' men will travel along the road to look for us," Reyes said. "The only reason why we stayed on it yesterday was to find Alisha. But now, we need to get off and go through the woods."

Lara looked at the woods about a hundred metres to their left. The trees were sparse, but they extended far back, probably to near the town. It would provide good cover, but it would be too slow and they wouldn't be able to effectively see if there were any biters around.

"We need food," Lara said. They still had some food, but the meagre supplies she had gathered would not last much longer. "We need to get to the bunker as soon as we can."

"Lara, it's dangerous," Sam said. "We should listen to Reyes."

Lara ignored her. "We stay on the road." She turned and started walking again. Frankly, she didn't care what the others did. She was better off by herself anyways.

She heard the others grumble behind her and then their footsteps following her.

They walked for what felt like another hour through the mud. The clouds were thick and heavy, obscuring all light from the land. It felt like the afternoon, but Lara knew it had to be sometime in the morning. It also started to sprinkle, which was to be expected for England. They _had_ to get to the town soon. She desperately needed to rest.

"Lara!"

Alisha. The panic in her voice made Lara turn around. The others were running towards her.

"There's someone coming," Jonah said. "They're on a horse, and there's a truck behind them. We need to run now."

Lara looked past them and saw there was indeed someone coming towards them on a horse in the distance. They were going at a trot, but as she watched he broke into a gallop. Reyes had already dragged Alisha into the woods but Lara stood there, staring at the men approaching them.

That horse…

The golden coat shimmered into existence and she realised that it was Arion.

Rage flooded through her and she drew her gun. "Fucking bastards," she hissed.

How dare they?! Arion was _her_ horse. How dare they use him against her?!

"What are you doing?!" Sam exclaimed. "We need to go now!"

Lara raised her gun and looked down the sight. Doing this was a risk and she wasn't sure she could take out the rider.

Her hand swayed unsteadily. She couldn't hurt Arion.

"Lara!" Sam shouted, "You're not going to be able to hit them! Come on!" She grabbed her arm and rationale snapped back into Lara.

"Dammit!" she cursed and ran after Sam.

Lara pulled her arm out of Sam's grasp and ran into the woods. Gunfire sprayed at her heels and she ducked, hearing bullets strike the trees behind her.

"Get after them!" someone yelled. "They're here!"

Lara darted between the trees, jumped over roots and stepped around bushes. The mud was more slippery here, and it made it difficult to keep her balance; more than once she ended up almost slipping. Her fatigue didn't help as her mind was catching up to things too late - realising it was too dangerous to step on that rock after her feet had left it.

Sam was in front of her, breathing heavily but running fine. She could just see Jonah in front of them whilst Reyes and Alisha were out of sight.

"Through here!" Mathias' men trampled through the woods behind her.

Lara never wanted to stop more in her life. Her chest hurt and she had a cramp in her stomach. Every place which had been beaten and bruised in the past week throbbed in an unrelenting pain.

She wanted to give up.

 _Stay strong Lara._

But she couldn't. They would kill her if they caught her.

Sam and Jonah turned left in front of her.

Lara wondered why they did that when she realised there was a ditch.

"Shit!"

She made a sharp left but ended up sliding backwards from her momentum. Lara put her left leg back, trying to stop her slide on the mud but then the ground disappeared from beneath her leg and she fell down the slope.

A cry on her tongue was cut off when her chest hit the ground and winded her. She tumbled down the slope, trying to grab onto something but the mud made it impossible.

"Lara!"

Something smashed into her temple. Her whole world disappeared for a moment and then it was spinning in flashing colours.

She pushed herself up and realised that she had stopped moving and had landed in a bush. Her head throbbed in pain and she put a hand to it, feeling something wet and sticky on her head.

"Lara!"

 _Got to keep going._

Lara pushed herself onto her knees but collapsed immediately, her head spinning violently like a vortex.

"We need to help her!"

"We can't, Sam! They're right behind us!"

Lara struggled to keep her eyes open. The vortex was sucking her in and she didn't want to fight it anymore.

The last thing she heard was feet scampering off and the shouts of men. _Leave…just like everyone else._

* * *

Lara's phone chimed in her pocket. She fumbled for it in her pocket as her dad swerved around cars. She took it out and saw that it was a text from Sam.

 _Lara something weirds happening. Where r u? R u ok?_

Oh god, Sam! She was practically alone at the school!

"Dad!" she yelled, "Sam's still at the school, we need to go get her."

Her dad gritted his teeth as he took a sharp turn. "I'm sorry Lara but we can't go back. More people will be trying to head out of town and the traffic will be too heavy. I'm sorry."

Lara bit her tongue as she looked down at her phone. Her dad was right- it would be near impossible to go back and too dangerous. She tapped out a quick reply and prayed that Sam got somewhere safe.

Before she could send it, the phone flew out of her hand as they ran over a speed bump. Lara snatched it off the floor. "No no no!" The screen had cracked and it wasn't turning on. "Dammit!"

Her mum was watching her dad drive but now she turned to her daughter. "Sam will be fine, Lara," she said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. She was breathing rapidly. "You can't do anything about it now."

Lara clenched her teeth together and squeezed her eyes shut. _This cannot be happening_ , she thought, _this can't be real. People aren't eating each other on the streets._

She wanted so much to reassure Sam but it was virtually impossible when her phone was broken.

"There's a family there," her dad said, "We need to help them."

Lara looked up and saw a man waving to them desperately on the side of the road. His wife was behind him, along with their son and daughter.

"Richard," her mum said hesitantly, "I'm not sure about this."

"We need to help them," her dad said, "They have children. What if that were us?"

Her dad slowed down and Lara looked at the family nervously. They looked scared, and the sour feeling in her stomach warned her that it wasn't because of what was happening in town. They looked desperate though, and Lara would want someone to help her if she were stuck in that situation.

They pulled to a stop next to them and Richard put the window down. "Are-"

The man pulled open the door and threw her dad out of the car.

"Richard!" her mum yelled, leaning forward.

The man kicked her dad in the ribs and pointed a gun at his head. "Get out!" he yelled, looking back at them with wide eyes. "Get out or I'll shoot him!"

Lara whimpered and sunk into her seat as her mum gripped her hand. What was happening? Why was this happening?

"I said get out!"

"Okay, okay," her mum said calmly, pulling Lara along. "We're out."

"Hold on," the man growled, taking Lara's arm roughly. Lara yelped as she was pulled away from her mother.

"Hey!" Her dad yelled, standing up. The man dug the gun into Lara's temple and he stopped.

"On your knees and hands on your head!" he yelled. Her dad dropped to his knees in front of them while her mum knelt down to the side of them. "If you try anything I'll kill her."

"You can take the car," her dad said, gritting his teeth, "Just leave her out of this."

"Dad!" his son yelled, walking up to him. "Maybe we shouldn't do this." He looked about two years younger than Lara.

"Eric, this isn't right," his wife said. Her daughter was hiding behind her legs.

"Shut up!" Eric snapped. The gun was shaking against her temple. "Just get in the car so we can go!"

"No! You were the one that taught us that stealing is wrong!"

"Mum…" Lara whimpered. The arm around her neck tightened.

"Shut it," Eric said. "I don't want to hurt anyone. We just need your car."

"It's okay, Lara," Amelia said calmly. "Just look at me, okay? Everything will be fine."

Lara swallowed hard and looked at her mother. Her eyes were clear and sharp, not a trace of fear in them. Looking at her made some of the fear disappear and her breathing slowed down.

"Dad!" the son yelled again. He strode forward this time and tugged on Eric's arm. "Stop this!"

Eric turned around, scowling. "Matthew, just get-"

Lara felt someone crash into them.

"Amelia!" her dad yelled.

Lara's heart jumped into her throat as she fell away from Eric's grasp. She scrambled back as quickly as she could and watched on with horror. Her mum was struggling with him, trying to get the gun away when there was a bang.

A loud ringing sounded in her ears, but she could still hear the words that followed. " _Amelia_!"

 _Oh gods,_ Lara thought, her heart clenching. _No no no, please no._

"Holy shit!" Eric pushed Amelia off him and scrambled to his feet. His hands were bloodied. Everyone stared at them in shock.

"I'm sorry," he cried, backing away nervously, "I-I didn't mean to." Lara managed to tear her eyes away from her mum just in time to see Eric shove his son into their car and drive off.

Her dad knelt down next to her and cradled her in her arms. "Amelia?"

Lara stumbled forward automatically. She fell onto her knees and felt tears welling in her eyes. This couldn't be happening. "Mum?" she whispered.

Her mother looked at her tiredly and took her hand.

"Mum!" Lara sobbed, squeezing her hand tightly. She couldn't lose her again, not when she had just gotten her back. "P-please. Don't leave us."

"I'm sorry Lara," she coughed. Blood leaked out from the corner of her mouth and she smiled weakly. "I love you."

"Amelia d-don't worry," her dad stuttered, pushing against the wound. "We-we can get you to a hospital. We just need to stop this bleeding."

Her mum put her hand over her father's. "Richard…" she whispered, her voice faint, "…don't…" her voice trailed off and her head rolled to the side.

"Amelia?" her dad asked. She shook her, but she didn't stir. "Amelia!"

Lara stared at her in shock. Tears ran down her face but she didn't feel them.

She couldn't be dead…she-she couldn't be. Not again. Please. Mum…please.

Lara's face crumpled and she cried over her mother's body.

Why was this was happening all over again?

* * *

"We're almost there," her dad said, looking around the corner. "We just need to make it across the street."

It took a second for the words to register in Lara's mind. She had been thinking about what had happened to her mother, the loud bang still reverberating in her ears. She looked up and noticed a few sick people out on the streets.

They had taken several alleyways once they got into Epsom to avoid running into anyone. It was hard to trust anyone anymore after their car was stolen. But that wasn't the worst part. People were eating other people on the street and they scared her.

They mostly looked normal, but they acted like they had lost their minds. They had encountered one before- she looked like a normal business woman - but her clothes were ripped and bloodied, and when her dad had tried to reason with her she just screamed and ran at them.

Her dad had shot her then, but a bullet to the chest didn't stop her. It took two more bullets to the head before she finally fell down and stopped moving.

To think that this was what was happening to their friends - it was terrifying. It could have been Sam out there, or her mum, or…her.

She licked her dry lips and took a deep breath. "Is-is it safe to go?" Her voice cracked on the last word. Gods, she was so thirsty.

"Just stay close to me," he said quietly. He gripped the steel pipe he had picked up and moved out from the safety of the alleyway.

Lara did as she was told and stayed close to her father. They ran quickly to the closest abandoned car and moved around it to avoid an infected person who stumbled by. Lara pushed herself back against the car and bit her tongue.

She needed to stay quiet. She needed to remain calm.

Lara took a deep breathed and stayed on her father's heels as he moved again. They made it across the road without drawing any attention to themselves. Her dad then led the way to a brownstone on the corner and knocked quickly on the door.

The door opened immediately and Roth ushered them inside.

"Thank the gods you're safe," he said after he locked the door. He embraced Richard. "It's chaos out there." He paused and looked around, frowning. "Where's Amelia?"

Lara looked down as tears prickled her eyes again. _Mum…_ she thought, biting her tongue to keep from sobbing all over again.

"Oh gods…" Roth said, realising quickly. "I'm sorry, Richard."

Her dad shook his head and looked away. "It was my fault," he said, voice hoarse. Lara looked up at that. _His_ fault? How could he blame himself? It was _her_ that she was trying to save. "I should have listened to her. She warned me not to stop."

"Lara." Roth was looking at her softly. "Why don't you go get something to eat? If you're tired you can take the spare room."

Lara wanted to stay here, with her father and Roth but she understood that they wanted space. She nodded mutely and headed towards the kitchen.

She had been in Roth's house before, during the holidays where everyone was required to go home. Roth had taken care of her while her parents were missing. He was practically a second father to her.

God knows she would need him now since her mum was gone.

Tears welled in her eyes again.

How could her father blame himself? Mum had died trying to save _her._ It was her fault that she was dead.

Lara had killed her own mother.

She shouldn't have froze like that, Lara thought. She should have fought back, given her parents a proper chance to rescue her, or even better, saved herself.

She should have been better.

Lara heard the murmurs of Roth and her dad in the other room. She took a glass of water and headed upstairs to the spare room. She was hungry, but she didn't feel like eating now. She knew it would just come back up.

Lara lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. She should try to sleep, she knew; it had been a long day to say the least.

But the bed felt cold, and she was reminded of the first few weeks when she heard her parents had disappeared, how all she wanted was for them to hold her in their arms, safe in their warmth.

Lara turned to face the wall and curled up in her blankets. She couldn't stop thinking of her mother - how she would braid her hair when she was little, sing her to sleep with lullabies, take her horse riding at their manor and help her sketch the many artefacts that they brought back.

But because of her, her mum wouldn't be around to do that anymore…

A weight deposited itself on the bed and Lara looked behind her to see her dad. He looked worn and tired, the crow's feet at the edge of his eyes prominent.

"How are you, my Ladybug?" he asked quietly.

Lara rolled over and shrugged weakly. "I don't know," she answered. She tried finding a word to express the turmoil inside her but nothing came to mind. "I don't know."

He lay down next to her and gathered her in her arms. Lara closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Her father was here at least.

"I'm sorry, Lara," he said, his voice shaky. "I failed your mother, but I won't make the same mistake again."

Lara felt her eyes water and she squeezed them shut. "It's my fault dad," she whispered, holding him tight. "She died because of me."

"No Lara, don't blame yourself," he said firmly. "You couldn't have stopped it. It wasn't your fault."

Lara shook her head. She didn't believe that.

Her dad gripped her shoulders and lifted her chin up. "Lara, look at me," he said.

Lara slowly opened her eyes. Her dad's brown eyes were shining, but determined. "The man had a gun. If you fought back you could have died. Your mother chose to save you. You need to realise it wasn't your fault."

Lara stared into his eyes and nodded. Her dad hugged her tightly and rested his chin on her head.

The situation wasn't her fault, Lara thought, but she should have been stronger.

"Good," her dad said, exhaling. "I need you to promise me something now."

"Anything," Lara said, looking up at him.

"I need you to promise me that you'll stay strong," he said, "I don't know what's happening, but things are not going to get easier. With your mother gone, it's just us now."

Lara nodded. "I promise dad." She would be strong. She wouldn't be weak again.

Her dad smiled wearily and stroked her hair. "Thank you," he said softly, "Now you should get some sleep, Ladybug; it's been a long day."

Her dad sat up to leave but Lara caught his hand. "Dad," she said. Her father looked back at her. "You need to promise me something now."

Her father furrowed his brow. Lara continued, "Promise that you won't leave me," she whispered.

Her father's eyes softened and he lay back down next to her. "I promise," he said, stroking her hair.

Lara nodded and closed her eyes. With her dad next to her, she could imagine that her mother was there too - That they were a family again.

When Lara woke the next morning, her dad was nowhere to be seen.

For a moment, Lara felt as if she were back at the school; that Sam was going to greet her with a 'sweetie' and she had a boring day of school ahead.

But then she remembered what had happened and that happiness disappeared.

 _This is real,_ she thought. _This isn't going to get better any time soon._

There were voices downstairs. Lara slowly dressed and then went downstairs to investigate.

Roth had the radio on and he and her father were trying to listen to it. Lara could make out a reporter talking about the crisis - how there were sick people everywhere and that the police had set up safety zones in each city that everyone should proceed to.

"I don't think we should go, Conrad," her father said, pacing. He stopped and sipped his coffee, then resumed his pacing. "It doesn't feel like a good idea."

"No, I agree," Roth said, "Everyone will be there - even those who are sick. I think we should head to your manor. It'll be safer there.

"We should leave as soon as possible. The streets will only become more dangerous as the days pass."

"Agreed." Her father looked up and saw Lara standing in the doorway. He held out his arm and Lara went over to him. "How are you feeling, Lara?" he asked, pulling her into his side. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I'm starving," she said. She hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. "What were you talking about?"

"We're heading to the manor," her father told her, going to cook some eggs for her. "It's not safe to stay in the cities."

Lara sat down at the table and Roth poured her a cup of tea. "How are we going to get there?" she asked. "We can't possibly walk there."

"I have an extra car in a storage locker near the edge of Epsom," Roth said, "Some bugger stole the one I had parked outside, but it wouldn't have mattered anyways because the streets are blocked. We'll head there, then head to the manor."

Lara nodded. Her father put a plate of scrambled eggs down in front of her and she began eating.

While she was eating, Roth and her father began preparing the things that they would bring - filling backpacks with food, water and a first aid kit.

This was so surreal, Lara thought, how could their lives have changed so quickly? Yesterday she was chatting with her best friend about her holiday plans and today she was wondering if she was going to die.

What had happened to the world?

"Here." Roth handed her a gun when they were ready to leave. "It's dangerous out there. Do you know how to use this?"

Lara stared at the weapon in her hands. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "No," she said.

"All right then." Roth showed her the basics. Lara understood it all but she was nervous about when she actually had to use it. She didn't know if she could kill someone, even to protect herself.

"Do you get it, lass?" Roth asked.

"I think so," Lara said, putting it in the holster Roth also gave her.

"Okay. As soon as your father's ready we'll head out."

They exited through the back and Roth led them through the back streets towards the edge of town. Lara stayed in the middle, one hand gripping the gun in her holster tightly while her father brought up the rear.

Lara's heart was pounding at every turn. She was afraid of what they would run into - or what she would be forced to do if she ran into anything. Her mind flashed back to what happened to her mother and she gritted her teeth.

No, she thought. If something were to happen again she would step up. She wouldn't allow anyone else to die.

They had made it to the other side of a road by hiding behind some abandoned cars. "How long to go, Roth?" Lara asked quietly.

"Argh!" Her father was tackled to the ground next to her. A man with half a jaw was on top of him, trying to bite his face off.

Lara yelped and fumbled for her gun, when Roth shot him first. The man fell off her father and he scrambled to his feet quickly. "Ahh shit," he said, picking up the gun he had dropped. "He took me by surprise."

Lara looked up as she heard several groans and growls from behind them. A horde of sick people, all in tattered and bloodied clothing were coming towards them, eyes blank.

"Shite," Roth cursed. "Run!" he said, turning and bolting through the alley.

Lara turned and ran after him. She finally managed to draw her gun and kept running as she heard the growls behind them becoming louder.

Her heart was pounding and her muscles were burning. She had seen what the sick people were doing - hunting anything that moved and eating them. She didn't want to end up like them.

"Shit!" Roth cursed and suddenly turned left.

Lara looked ahead and saw another horde of people coming towards them, blocking off that route. Her heart jumped into her throat and she swallowed it down before following Roth.

"Up the fire escape!" Her dad yelled from behind her.

Lara looked up. Ahead of them, there was a rusty fire escape to their left. The alley opened up to the road ahead but the fire escape would be their best bet to lose the horde chasing them.

Roth stopped at the bottom of the fire escape. "That doesn't look safe," he said, panting.

Her dad moved to the bottom of the ladder. It was too high up - they wouldn't have been able to jump up. "It doesn't matter. It's better than trying to outrun them." He laced his hands together. "Lara, you first."

"But what about you?" she asked, placing a foot on his hands.

"I'll be right behind you," he said. "Okay; one, two, three!" Lara leaped up at the same time as her dad pushed her up. She caught the bottom of the ladder and grunted as she pulled herself up.

The whole fire escape creaked dangerously as she climbed up onto the balcony. She looked back the way they had come and saw the horde of people not far from them. They weren't moving quickly, but they would catch up soon.

Her dad helped Roth up next. She looked down and saw that the horde was closer.

"Dad come on!" she yelled.

Her dad glanced at the horde then ran up the wall and leapt off it. He caught the last rung and was about to haul himself up when the ladder fell off.

"DAD!" Lara yelled, gripping the railing as the whole structure shook.

She leaned over and saw her father lying on his back; the broken ladder half on top of him. He grunted and pushed the ladder off, watching the horde come closer.

"Richard run!" Roth yelled.

"No!" Lara yelled, panic seizing her. She couldn't lose her father as well; not again.

Her dad glanced up at her. "I'll meet you at the garage, Lara!" he said, already turning to run, "I promise!"

"DAD!" Lara yelled, tears running down her face again. She could imagine all the ways that her father could die as he ran out onto the street - being eaten alive, disappearing forever with no idea of what had happened to him. "Please!"

Roth put a hand on her shoulder as she leaned dangerously over the balcony. "Lara," he said, pulling her back, "He'll be fine. He said he'll meet us at the car and he will. We have to go now."

A few of the sick people stopped below them and tried to grab at them but most followed her father out into the street. The last Lara saw of him was his brown hair as he turned a corner and disappeared.

Lara leaned back and gripped her gun until her knuckles turned white. She had lost him. Again.

Roth squeezed her shoulder tightly. "He-he'll be alright Lara," he said, but she could hear the uncertainty in his voice. "We should move."


	24. Darkest Before Dawn

Thanks for the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing. Also thanks to Beanses for spotting an error in the last chapter which has now been corrected!

* * *

Sam ran along the trail, heart pounding in her chest. Her ribs ached and it was becoming difficult to breathe, but she had to keep running.

Her mind flashed back to Lara, lying unconscious in the bushes. She didn't know what injury she had, but Sam had a bad feeling that she had just given up.

She hadn't heard a gunshot from behind them yet, so they hadn't killed her. They would do that soon though, or worse, take her back to Mathias.

Lara wasn't in her right mind. She had been reckless in wanting to travel on the road and Sam had no idea what she was thinking trying to shoot the guy off Arion. She was going to get them killed again.

But she was struggling. She wasn't coping with her grief well and Sam couldn't just leave her to die because of that.

"Jonah!" she said, stopping in her tracks. "I need to go back for her."

Jonah turned around, scowling. "You can't!" he exclaimed. "They'll kill you."

"She wouldn't leave me," Sam said. "Keep running. Lead them away. We'll meet you at the town."

Without waiting for his response, Sam turned and ran to a large tree to their right. She ducked behind it, panting and placing a hand to her ribs to still her breathing. The foliage here shielded most of her from the rain but she still felt water drops on her cheeks.

A moment later the heard the footsteps of Mathias' men trample past her. She peered around the trunk carefully and saw two men disappear in the direction Jonah had gone in. She was sure there had been more than two men after them.

Sam went back along the trail, keeping quiet. Her pistol was in her hand - only five bullets left - whilst her other hand held her side. She had taken a tablet of codeine before but it had yet to take effect.

Back at the ditch, Sam saw Charlie and Brent trying to get down the slope. She couldn't see Lara and wasn't going to risk heading out into the open. They had their backs to her but Sam hid behind a nearby tree anyways.

"God dammit, how are we meant to get down there?" Charlie yelled. He was the one furthest down the slope, but was clinging to the muddy ground and moving slowly down.

"Just keep going, you're almost there," Brent said. He was standing near the top, clinging to a small tree.

"I'm going to slip and break my neck, you twat!" Charlie yelled.

"Just go!"

Charlie grumbled and took a step down. "Argh!" He slipped and tumbled down the slope. Sam held her breath but Charlie didn't move at the bottom of the ditch.

"Shit! Charlie?!" Brent said, carefully moving towards him. "Charlie!"

Sam moved out from behind the tree and raised her gun. _Now or never_.

She shot at Brent.

The bullet hit his shoulder. "Argh! Fuck!" Brent tumbled forward from the shot and landed next to Charlie at the bottom. He looked up and saw Sam. "You!"

 _Shit_. She shot at him again.

She managed to hit him, but it wasn't until her gun clicked empty that he fell, bleeding out on the ground.

Sam released her breath and looked at Charlie. He still hadn't moved, but he might soon, and Sam couldn't have that. She looked around and saw the route Brent had been taking. The bottom was clear and there seemed to be a trail of trees and shrubs towards it.

Sam holstered her pistol and started down the slope. _Just be calm_ , she thought, ignoring her fear as she jumped from tree to tree. She yelped as her foot slipped and she fell onto her stomach.

Her hands scrambled for something and managed to grab onto a root before she tumbled. She took a shaky breath and then continued down the near vertical slope, slowly and carefully.

She managed to reach the bottom relatively unscathed.

Sam panted and looked around her. Lara was lying in the bush, motionless, with blood on her temple. Sam started towards her but then remembered Charlie and looked behind her at him. He was also unconscious but Sam couldn't see a visible wound.

As she watched he stirred slightly, rolling his head to one side.

Sam hesitated and walked over to him.

He wasn't dead, and there was every possibility that when he woke up he would come after them, probably with more people as well. She couldn't leave him alive.

Sam drew her knife and stared down at him. He was unarmed and unconscious, and she felt like a monster killing him like this.

Sam looked over to Lara who was still lying there. Sam knew what she would do in this situation and she needed to be strong. She couldn't let them come after them.

Sam knelt down next to Charlie. She took several breaths before she closed her eyes and stabbed down at his head.

Warm blood welled up and touched her hand. Sam quickly withdrew her knife and cleaned the blade on his clothes. Then she quickly grabbed Charlie and Brent's pistols before turning around to Lara.

"Lara!" she said, kneeling next to her and rolling her onto her back. "Lara, wake up."

There was a large gash on her temple. How badly did she hit her head? Why hadn't she gotten up already?

"Lara?" she struggled to keep the fear out of her voice. "Lara, please wake up."

Lara stirred, her eyelids fluttering. Her lips moved and Sam had to lean down to hear her. " _Dad_ …"

"No Lara, it's me, Sam," she said, shaking her again. "You need to wake up. We need to go."

Lara opened her eyes slowly, staring up at her. There was water on her cheeks, though Sam wasn't sure if that was from the rain or if they were tears.

"Sam…?" she murmured.

Sam managed a smile. "Yeah, it's me. We need to go, okay? There are biters and Mathias' men who will be here soon. We need to go."

Lara gazed up at her. There was such a profound sadness in her eyes, a deep disappointment and hopelessness which Sam had never seen before. This was Lara, stripped back of all her defences and wanting to give up.

Sam couldn't let that happen.

"Lara," Sam repeated, gripping her hand tightly. "We need to go. Please."

Lara blinked and looked around slowly. "Okay…" she muttered. She got up with Sam's help and swayed unsteadily on her feet.

"Okay, let's go." Sam put her arm around Lara and helped her jog away from the area. She didn't know where she was going but they had to get away from here. The other two men were sure to come back and hunt them down, and with Lara like this, she wasn't sure they would stand a chance.

The codeine finally kicked in which made it easier for Sam to support Lara while running. Eventually Lara could support herself and they ran through the woods. Lara told them to cover up their tracks and stick to roots, moss and patches of grass so they couldn't be followed.

They continued jogging and walking for who knows how long, taking several twists to lose any pursuers. It had stopped raining but the sky was still dark. Sam guessed it had to be afternoon but she wasn't sure.

"I need to rest," Lara panted, stopping outside a cave and leaning onto her knees. "We'll stay here…if you don't mind."

Sam was relieved to hear that. "No, it's fine," she said.

Lara walked into the cave and sat down in the middle of it, resting her head against her knees. Sam stood awkwardly, looking around. It was dark and cold in here, and they needed light and warmth as soon as possible. Their clothes were soaked through, and Lara was covered in mud. They needed to dry off before they caught hypothermia but Lara didn't seem to want to move.

"Should we make a fire?" Sam asked, hoping to get a response from her.

"Yes," Lara answered, her voice muffled from her knees. She made no other move.

Sam didn't want to leave Lara when she was like this but they needed to get warm. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Lara didn't move from her bowed position. Sam went outside and looked for some dry wood or kindling she could use. Most of them were wet, but she found some semi-dry ones sheltered under the trees. There was some grass near the entrance of the cave which she also took before she went back to Lara.

Lara was staring blankly at the wall when she returned. Sam dumped the wood in front of her and started building a fire. It took longer than usual to start, but eventually she got it going with Lara's flint and steel. Then she added larger sticks to the fire until it warmed them up.

Sam glanced at Lara, who still hadn't moved. She couldn't tell if the gash on her head was still bleeding but there was a stream of crusted blood down her neck. "Can I take a look at your head?" she asked Lara.

Lara nodded slightly but didn't stop staring at the fire. Sam knelt down next to her and inspected her temple. It was hard to see in the firelight, but it looked like Lara had been hit just beside her temple. It didn't look like it needed to be stitched up but from her unfocused eyes and the way she was swaying, she may have a concussion.

"Do you think you have a concussion?" Sam asked, putting a hand on Lara's shoulder to get her attention.

Lara shook her head. "I don't know," she muttered. "Honestly, I don't really care."

Sam frowned. "Don't…say that Lara," she said. "If you're badly hurt we need to fix it."

"Why?" Lara asked blankly, looking at her. "Why are you here? Everyone always leaves anyways…it's probably safer that way."

"That's not true, Lara," Sam protested. "Reyes was just mad when she said that; she didn't mean it."

"But it _is_ true." Lara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A tear streaked down her cheek as she opened them again. "My parents… Roth, Alex…They're all dead because of me."

Sam was about to protest when Lara continued; "My dad promised me that he wouldn't leave me after my mother died," she said. "But he was wrong. The next day the ladder broke when we were climbing up the fire escape and he had to run. That was the last time I saw him.

"Everyone always sacrifices themselves to save me. And Roth…" she clenched her jaw but it was trembling as a tear rolled off it. "Roth has done nothing but take care of me since my parents died. And now he's gone."

Sam could see that she was struggling not to cry. Lara rubbed at the tears with her fists. Sam didn't know what to say. No wonder why Lara was so shaken. And no wonder why she blamed herself for everything. That kind of guilt would stay with you forever, even if it wasn't your fault.

"I'm still here," Sam offered hesitantly.

"You left," Lara batted back.

"But I came back." She took a deep breath and sat down next to her, crossing her legs. "I'm sorry. I was in the wrong before and you have every right to be mad at me. You lost Roth as well, but here I was, too freaked out about what happened to care about your feelings. I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most and I'm _so_ sorry about that."

Lara was quiet as the fire crackled in the background. "Why _did_ you come back?" she asked.

"You're my friend, Lara," she said. "I care about you, a lot. I promised you that whatever happens I'll stay by you, and I mean it."

Lara said nothing and Sam looked over to her. Her eyes were tired and unfocused, her lips puffy. She looked raw and vulnerable; so tired of this world. Sam tentatively put an arm around her shoulders and when Lara didn't pull away, she let her rest her head against her chest. She wanted to make things better for Lara, make up for the horrible mistake she had made.

Lara started shaking and Sam looked down. She was crying - quiet sobs which resonated throughout the cave.

Sam wrapped her arms tightly around her and stroked her hair. She could feel each breath Lara took, her chest rising and falling shakily.

Eventually her breaths evened out, finding rhythm with Sam's own breathing. Sam just sat there, holding her in a promise of safety and security. Losing her for even a day was so painful that she never wanted to go through it again.

It wasn't until Lara slipped in her arms slightly that she realised she was asleep.

Sam lay them down gently and wrapped her arms around her waist. There was a sense of déjà vu, where back at school Lara had held her one night after something in the dark scared her.

Lara was there to protect her from her physical demons, and Sam would try her best to protect her from her mental ones.

She took a breath and kissed the back of Lara's head. _Sleep well,_ she thought.

* * *

Fire crackled in the background, of her consciousness. Sam stirred slowly and opened her eyes. She saw a figure sitting in front of her. Lara was poking at the fire, heating up a can of food. Sam sat up, rubbing the stiffness out of her neck.

"Morning," Lara said, the hint of a smile on her face. She had cleaned the mud from her skin and hair and was looking much happier.

"Hey…" Sam yawned and crossed her legs. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She handed Sam a bottle of water and she drank from it gratefully. Sunlight streamed through the entrance of the cave, illuminating the dust floating in the air and silhouetting Lara. It would have been a nice shot, if only she still had her Instax.

"I'm sorry about last night," Lara said, breaking the silence. Sam looked over at her. She was looking into the fire, avoiding her eyes. "I'm so tired of the world taking everyone I love away."

Sam understood that completely. Losing people you care about wore you down until eventually you were a cynical husk of who you once were. She didn't say that though. "You know that it's not your fault?" she said.

Lara sighed. "I know. Mostly. It was unfortunate, as is most of life, but I can't deny the part I played in it. I didn't mean to, but I killed Alex. I killed Vladimir, and if only partly, it's because of me Roth and my parents are dead. I just have to live with that now."

She looked at Sam, her eyes glimmering in the low light and still tinged with sadness. "Thank you for saving me, Sam," she said. "But I know I'm not…the safest company. If you want leave, you can do it now. I wouldn't blame you."

There was no way she would do that. Lara was so goddam dense sometimes. Couldn't she see how she's done all of this for her?

Sam put her hand over Lara's and met her eyes. "I want to stay with you, Lara," she said. "I'm not leaving you again."

Lara's smile widened tentatively. Her eyes still had that tinge of sadness in them but now they were also mixed with hope.

Lara leaned forward and Sam automatically closed her eyes. Soft lips pressed against hers and her chest felt like it was going to burst.

The kiss was tentative and slow, and lasted not nearly long enough. She could just feel the tip of Lara's tongue teasing hers when she leaned back.

Lara blushed and watched her shyly. Her lips were pillowy, and Sam wanted to kiss her again. "I'm so-"

"Shhh…" Sam put a finger against her lips and grinned. "Don't speak."

She kissed her again.


	25. New Beginnings

Thanks for the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing (even when he has exams).

* * *

Lara's first kiss had been with a girl named Amanda. She was smart, sassy and confident. They had met at the Oxford quarantine zone - the only one she had been to - and had bonded immediately.

Lara's parents had just died, and Amanda was there with a distraction. Her beauty and her forwardness had made it easy, and they had spent the next week snogging on and off. Then, Amanda had decided to sneak out of the QZ to seek a safer place. She had wanted Lara to come along but she didn't want to leave Roth, who was practically her only family left.

They had kissed one last time that night in the room they had given her, and then she left.

That was the last time she saw her.

Now, she was with Sam.

"Hey wait," Sam said, grabbing her arm before she walked off. "You have something on your mouth."

Lara brushed her fingers across her lips. She couldn't feel anything. "What is it?" she asked.

Sam touched her lips with her fingertips and then kissed her. "Me."

Lara rolled her eyes but grinned. "Smooth, Sam." She kissed her back.

It was different being with her - it wasn't just a fling or a distraction. Sam was her _girlfriend_ now, and she had been there for her during her toughest moments. It was so strange thinking about her that way, yet it was less complicated in real life. They had been so close before, and it only felt natural to progress their relationship to the next level.

Red-cheeked and bashful, they snogged like teenagers every night. Whilst Sam had no qualms about doing it in wherever and whenever, Lara was a little more hesitant. She had never slept with anyone before and Sam's eagerness made her nervous.

Lara knew all too well about Sam's past… adventures. Despite their school's tough policies, Sam still managed to tease and sneak off with the boys at the nearby all-boys' school at night. She didn't know about her... activities after the outbreak, but she had a strong feeling that Sam and Will had slept together before they came to the resort.

Knowing about all these men Sam had been with…it made Lara worry that she wouldn't be able to please Sam in the way she wanted. That was the reason why she stopped her hands from wandering too far when they reached down her pants one night.

"Stop," Lara whispered, catching Sam's wrist.

Sam leaned back from the kiss, breathless and her brow furrowed. "What's wrong sweetie?" She was straddling her across her hips, leaning down over her to kiss her.

"Umm… do you really think you should be doing this?" she asked nervously. "I mean, with your ribs and all that."

Sam laughed. "I've been running around and throwing myself into the ground for the past few days," she said. "If that hasn't worsened my condition I don't think this will." She kissed her again but Lara turned her head.

"Look, I…" She looked down at Sam's stomach, biting her lower lip.

This was so embarrassing…

"I umm…I don't think I'm ready," she said, running her thumb back and forth over her thigh. "I've…I've never done this with anyone before, and I don't know if I want to do this now."

Sam raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "You haven't slept with anyone before?" she asked. "I find that hard to believe."

Lara felt heat rise to her cheeks and she looked away awkwardly. "Look…you know why I haven't, Sam. I just…never really cared about this before. I haven't really until I met you. And I just…don't know what to do…I'm sorry."

Sam rested her hands on her shoulders and stroked her shoulders with her thumbs. Lara still couldn't look up, afraid that Sam would snicker at her.

"You know it's okay to be nervous?" she said softly, getting off her and sitting by her side. "You don't have to be embarrassed. If you don't want to do this then we won't. I'll wait for you until you're ready."

Lara looked at her. Sam was sincere about this, and it made her smile. She had been afraid that Sam would laugh at her but she should have known her friend better than that.

"Thank you," she said. She pecked Sam on her cheek and wrapped her arms around her. This was one of the many times in the past three days where she wondered how she was lucky enough to have her.

* * *

It took longer than usual to reach the town as Sam and Lara stayed off the main road. It took a while to find out where they were, and when they reached the main road again they decided it was too dangerous to travel along it.

So, they stayed a good kilometre away from it and travelled through the fields and woods. It was on the afternoon of the third day that they reached the town, and Lara was relieved.

"I don't see Jonah or Reyes anywhere," Sam said, looking around. She placed a hand to her ribs but didn't look like she was struggling to breathe.

Lara had a nervous feeling in her stomach and she drew her gun. Roth's pistol gave her a sense of comfort and she advanced forward into the bunker house. "Come on," she told Sam. "Be careful."

She went towards the back of the house, keeping an eye out for biters or anyone else. The house was quiet and Lara reduced her steps to match the silence. Something had changed in here - it was hard to pinpoint but the place didn't seem the same as before. Could it have been Jonah, Reyes and Alisha who had moved things? Or was it someone else?

The sliding door to the backyard was closed. There wasn't anything interesting outside and everything seemed the same.

Lara slid open the glass and stepped outside.

Something blurred in her peripheral vision and she jumped back quickly. The metal pole which had been about to hit her smashed into the glass door instead and the attacker shouted, "Shit!"

Lara kicked the man back and grabbed him by the collar before he could react. She pinned him against the wall with her arm and pressed her gun against his temple.

"Don't shoot!" he begged, holding his hands up in surrender. "Please, I didn't mean it."

Lara cocked her gun. She had heard that before. "Why shouldn't I?" she asked.

"I have a brother," he said, his eyes darting towards the hidden bunker. "We heard people coming and I'm just trying to protect him."

Lara narrowed her eyes at him and looked him over. His eyes were wide and despite his height, he looked young, maybe a few years younger than her. Lara didn't usually trust strangers but she didn't want to shoot another kid, especially if he was only looking out for someone else.

"Sam. Watch him while I frisk him," she said.

She holstered her pistol and patted down the boy. "I don't have anything," he said. "We have no guns."

Lara found that that was true. She stood up and kicked the pole he had used to attack her away from them. "What's your name?" she asked, turning back.

"Ben," he said, still looking nervous. "What's yours?"

Lara ignored him and walked over to the cellar, drawing her gun. The bushes that she and Sam and used to cover it up were gone, pushed to the side.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Ben asked, panicked.

"Sam and I found this place first," Lara said, pulling open the cellar. "We need food, and supplies." She grabbed Ben who didn't resist despite his height and shoved him in front of her. "Get down there."

Sam walked over to her. "What are you going to do?" she asked her quietly.

Lara knew what Sam was worried about but she wasn't that brash anymore. Her girlfriend had helped her achieve a sense of calm again. "Don't worry," she said. "I won't hurt them unless they try anything."

She followed Ben down the cellar, pointing her gun at him. "Don't try anything," she warned. "I will shoot you."

"Graham?" Ben said. "It's okay." The bunker was dimly illuminated with a lantern. At the corner of the room, a young boy who looked a lot like Ben emerged tentatively. Ben walked over to him and put an arm around him protectively.

"Don't worry," Sam said to them. "We're not going to hurt you."

Lara looked around the room. There was less food than when they had last been here, and it looked well lived in.

"How long have you two been in here?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ben answered, moving in front of his brother. "A month maybe?"

Lara looked at them. They had relied on this place being hidden enough that no one would find it. Staying at this place was the best backup plan they had and now it was compromised.

They couldn't kick Ben and Graham out of this place though - it didn't feel right. She wondered if Reyes and the others had encountered them when they came.

"Did other people come here?" Lara asked them. "A few days ago maybe."

"Umm…yeah," Ben answered. "Two women and one guy. They were the only ones who found us until you guys today."

"What were their names?" Sam asked.

"Reyes, Jonah and Alisha," Graham said, emerging from behind his brother. "They asked for some food and then left."

"Do you know where they went?" Lara asked.

Graham glanced at Lara then back at Sam. "Umm…no. We didn't ask."

Lara sighed. Okay, great. So they were running out of supplies and had no future goal. She shared a glance with Sam who seemed to be as unsure as her.

Lara looked back at the brothers. "We need food," she said. "And a few of those batteries, some painkillers-"

"Woah," Ben interrupted. "We can't give you all those things. We need them."

"You don't need all of them," Lara said. "I also want one of those blankets."

"We can't give you these," Ben said, straightening.

"You gave some food to the people before us," Lara pointed out.

"And that's why we can't spare anymore. What we have now - it will last us about two more months."

"Which is more than enough time for you to think of another plan." She stared at Ben, who was uncertain but still not backing down. "We just need a few supplies. Then we'll leave."

Ben hesitated and looked at Graham. Lara waited patiently, watching for any sign of tomfoolery.

"We want a gun," Ben said, turning towards them.

Lara raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm stupid?" she asked.

Ben squared his jaw and managed to look her in the eye. "You're taking something of ours, we want something in return. One of your pistols. You guys have three between you anyways."

"That's not happening," Lara said.

Ben shrugged. "Then no deal."

Lara gritted her teeth and sighed. "Fine," she said. They had another pistol anyways, hidden in her bag. "We'll give you one gun. For the food, some painkillers, a few batteries and one of those blankets."

Relief passed over Ben's face but managed to nod. "Okay, fine."

They made the trade in tense silence. Ben gave them five cans of food, two MRE's, four batteries and one of the mylar blankets. It was a lot for one pistol, but guns were rare in this country and having one was a major asset.

Lara emptied the clip of one of the spare guns before handing them to Ben.

"Thank you," Sam said, standing close by her side. "We'll leave you alone now."

"I-I'll walk you out," Ben said. He was keeping an eye on them.

"A word of warning," Lara told him as he escorted them out of the house. "Hide the bunker. Stay inside for the next week. If you hear people outside be prepared for a fight. It's not safe now."

Ben swallowed. "What? Are you guys wanted or something?"

Lara didn't want to tell him the whole truth but felt like he deserved a warning anyways. "Just stay inside."

Ben frowned at her but left them at the front of the house. Lara relaxed now that they weren't at risk and took a deep breath.

"So what do we do now?" Sam asked.

Lara looked around. It was dangerous staying here when Ben and Graham were right next to them but she had no idea where else to go. It was afternoon and they would need to stop soon after getting on the road if they left.

"We could stay here," Lara suggested. "In one of those houses. "

"Isn't that dangerous?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but I doubt Ben and Graham are going to come out and attack us." She began walking towards the house furthest from the bunker.

"Were you actually going to shoot them?" Sam asked. Lara could hear the hesitation in her voice.

She shook her head. "No. They're kids. I wouldn't do that." She just thought a bit of intimidation would help.

"Okay," Sam said.

They rested in the master bedroom of one of the houses. Lara pushed a table against the broken door and did a quick search of the house. She changed into a white button up shirt she had found but there was nothing else of interest, and by nightfall they were sharing a MRE whilst covered in blankets.

"It's getting warmer," Sam observed, sitting next to her. She handed her the last of the meal. "Only slightly."

Lara smiled at her. Their only source of light was the moonlight streaming in from the window and it only barely illuminated the room. "I'm looking forward to summer," she said. "No more rain and freezing temperatures."

She finished off the food and put the bag on the floor. Then, she pulled the blanket back over her and Sam.

Sam rested her head on her chest and Lara put an arm around her shoulders. She breathed a sigh of contentment and kissed her forehead.

"Where should we go?" Sam asked. "We can't stay here."

"I don't know," Lara said, stroking her arm absently-mindedly. "I don't really know anywhere safe to go. We could go find Reyes and the others or we could head out on our own."

Sam shrugged. "We don't know where the others are. It might take too long to find them." She sighed. "Maybe we should head to a city or- oh!" She sat up and leaned over her. "We could go find a cabin in the mountains like you always wanted."

Lara laughed and ruffled her hair playfully. She had forgotten about that. "That sounds lovely," she said. "But you were right. I was a bit delusional when I said that."

Sam smiled and leaned back down onto her chest. "I never said that," she said. "And you were so sweet for suggesting it."

Lara smiled and turned on her side so they were facing each other. They weren't exactly in a mountain cabin but they were together and she was so happy.

She placed a gentle hand on Sam's ribs. "Does it still hurt?" she asked. Sam had taken a few of the painkillers before but she wasn't sure how the bones were healing.

Sam shook her head. "Not really," she said. "I'm not sure if all the running made things worse though. I hope it heals soon."

Lara slipped her fingers under Sam's shirt and stroked her waist. Sam shivered and pressed her face into the pillow. "Your hands are cold," she said.

Lara smiled and kissed her lips. "Sorry."

They rested in silence. She was so tired from the past week and being in Sam's arms was so comfortable. This was a rare moment of comfort and peace and Lara could feel herself drifting off.

"Why don't we head to Cardiff?" Sam asked.

Lara was already half-asleep. She snorted and opened her eyes. "Cardiff?" she asked.

"Those guys who kidnapped you; Grant or whatever, they mentioned something about Cardiff. There's a community there I think, with walls, food and water."

Lara frowned. After everything she had been through, she didn't want to join up with a larger group again. She had thought the resort would have been their permanent residence- that they wouldn't have to run anymore. Maybe if it was just Roth and the others it would have been fine, but they had let more people in and it had all fallen from there.

"How do you know that's true?" Lara asked.

"I don't. But what if it is? We could be set for life."

"That's what I thought about the resort."

Sam sat up slightly and looked at her. In the pale moonlight, her eyes looked grey. "I think it's a risk we should take, Lara. We don't have a better idea."

"We could still try to find that cabin in the mountains," Lara suggested dryly.

Sam snorted. "I know you don't like being around people, but we should try," she said. "Wouldn't it be nice to live somewhere safe where we don't have to worry about anything?"

Lara hesitated. The idea of living amongst a large group again made her uncomfortable, but she couldn't fault Sam's logic. And unless she could come up with a better idea there wasn't really elsewhere to go. "Okay," she said. "We'll head to Cardiff."

Sam smiled and snuggled closer to her. "Cool," she said.

Lara sighed and wrapped her arms around her, closing her eyes. Sam must have sensed her worry as she poked her in the stomach. "Don't worry, Lara," she murmured. "I have a good feeling about this."


	26. Kindness of the Heart

Cheers for the review and thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

The road to Cardiff was great. Well, as great as living off the land could be.

They travelled through the fields and woods, not wanting to risk the roads again. It slowed down their journey dramatically, but it also granted them the opportunity to scavenge and hunt.

It rained less as winter faded and spring arrived with blossoms and new animals.

After fletching some new arrows from sticks, a deck of cards and duct tape Lara had hunted rabbits, deer and rabbits almost every day. With one shot, she would pierce the animals, though the deer took a few more arrows.

Sam, on the other hand, wasn't so good without a firearm. Lara tried showing her how to use her bow but after she scared a deer away with one arrow, and lost another to the trees, Lara took it off her quickly. "Okay, I think we should leave the hunting to me."

Although she sucked at hunting, she was decent at gathering berries and plants. She wasn't sure, but Lara seemed a bit wistful when she was teaching her. Sam wondered if it had something to do with Roth but she didn't really want to ask her.

Until they reached Bath, they ate what they caught and scavenged. Sometimes, they wouldn't find enough and would have to subsidise their meal with their rations, but they rarely had hunger pains.

Although the days seemed long and she was always tired, it wasn't so bad with Lara by her side.

Sam would often catch her staring at her when they were resting. Lara would immediately look away, blushing and pretending to be busy.

Sam chuckled and flickered her hair back, showing off just a little. "You know you can look all you want," she said. "It's not like you haven't done it before."

Lara looked back and smiled bashfully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry," she smiled, her eyes glittering softly. "I just think you're really pretty."

Sam smiled and had to restrain herself from jumping Lara. When she looked at her like that, she would let her do anything to her. Lara wasn't going to do that though; she was too polite, and not ready for it.

Instead, Sam moved next to Lara and pecked her on the cheek. "Thanks, sweetie," she said, putting an arm around her shoulders.

They made it to Bath - the first city - in about two weeks. They still needed to head to Bristol so they could cross over to Newport, and from there they could walk to Cardiff. Thinking about that journey was depressing though, especially when Sam thought about how they would have to avoid biters and humans, and somehow find food and water in the cities.

Bath held more dangers especially. This was a common scavenging place for when they stayed at the resort and no doubt Mathias' men would be back. It made her nervous being here, and she was constantly looking around.

Once, they saw someone running between the houses. For a moment, Sam thought that was Will and her heart leapt into her throat. But after they saw him briefly again Sam realised that he was much too short to be him.

"God, I thought that was Will," she said to Lara. They emerged from the house they had been searching and continued down the street. "I'm so scared they'll show up and try to kill us."

"I don't think they'll try to kill us," Lara said, looking forward.

"You really think Mathias will let us go?" A thought occurred to her then and she bit her lower lip nervously. "Will knows that I'm immune as well. What if he told Mathias?"

Lara looked back at her and considered it seriously for a moment. "If Will does tell him, he might come after you," she said. "But otherwise I don't think he would risk it. He knows we wouldn't come back when we're so outnumbered.

"And if they do come after you…" She put an arm protectively around her shoulders and smiled. "I'll protect you."

Sam smiled and squeezed Lara's hand. "And I'll protect _you_ ," she said, leaning into her. "Teamwork, right?"

Lara chuckled and ruffled her hair playfully. Sam pushed away from her and glared at her, fixing her hair. Dork. She did do that to Lara often thought so she did deserve it.

Lara laughed and held out her hand. "Come on," she said. "We should get going."

They continued through Bath, hand in hand until it became too inconvenient to do so.

It was strange. If this was five years ago they would just be like any other couple, holding hands in public and walking to the cinema. It would have been nice, just being with Lara without any stress besides homework. Now, instead of walking to the movies, they were walking to their next safe house.

They had just turned the corner onto a road when they heard the cry for help. "Ahh! Help!"

In front of them, there was a man on the roof of a car, frantically kicking away at the biters around his feet. The car wasn't tall, and it was amazing that he hadn't been dragged down yet.

"Shit," Sam said, stepping forward and drawing her knife, "We need to help him."

"Don't." Lara caught her arm and pulled her back into cover. "We can't help him, Sam. It's too dangerous."

"Help! Anyone! Please!"

Sam stared at her and clenched her jaw. "We can't just leave him to die. He needs our help."

"What if he tries to kill us? What are you going to do then?"

Sam highly doubted he would do that after they saved him. "Well I guess we just have to take that risk." Without waiting for her response, she ran out to the biters.

All the biters were trying to claw the man, giving Sam the opportunity to kill two biters before they started turning to her.

Sam gritted her teeth and stabbed the biter in front of her. Behind her, she heard more biters go down as Lara sniped them from afar.

In a few more seconds, they were all dead.

"Thank you," the man said. Sam turned to him and watched him carefully as he slid off the roof of the car. He winced as he landed on his right foot but then steadied himself against the car. "I thought I was gone there."

"It's fine," Sam said. "Are you alright?"

The man looked down at his foot and sighed. "I sprained my ankle," he said. "But it was either this or stay in the building and get bitten. Although I'm not sure why the biters would want me; I'm all skin and bones." He chuckled to himself.

"Who are you?" Lara asked, stepping next to Sam.

"John," the man said. He had a ragged black beard which was flecked with blood. "And who should I be thanking for saving my life?"

"I'm Sam," Sam said, "And this is Lara."

"Well Sam and Lara, thank you again for helping me," he smiled wearily at Lara even though she was frowning at him. "I dropped my machete. Foolish right?" He started hobbling over to said machete by the base of the car.

Sam nodded. "Are you going to be alright on your own?"

The man winced and picked up his blade, his bad foot lifted out behind him as he leant down. His dark skin glinted with sweat. "I hate to ask you for another favour," he said, huffing and turning towards them. "But I don't think I'd be able to make it to safety by myself."

"No," Lara said immediately. "You'll find a way. Sam, let's go."

"Hey, now wait up Lara," Sam said, catching her arm. Lara looked irritated but didn't resist. "We should help him. He doesn't seem dangerous."

"It could be a trap, Sam." Lara said quietly.

"You don't know that it is."

"You don't know that it's not."

"I don't mean any harm to you two," John said. "I know it's hard to believe, but please, I need to get back to my family. We got separated by biters but we're going to meet at a pub nearby."

Sam studied the man in front of her. He didn't seem like a threat; in fact he was quite nice and possibly too gullible just trusting strangers so readily. If the pub was close, then it wouldn't hurt them to help him.

"Please," John pleaded, wincing again. "We- we have a bit of food. We can give it to you if you help me."

Sam looked knowingly at Lara who gave in with a resigned sigh. "Fine," she said. "Where is this pub?"

John's face lit up. "Thank you! You have no idea what this means to me." He stumbled off down the road, wincing each time he stepped on his right foot. "This way."

Sam couldn't let him walk around like that. He had to be in a lot of pain and it would take too long to get anywhere. "Here," Sam said, walking up to him and putting one of his arms around her shoulders. "Let me help."

"Oh thank you," he said, leaning against her and hopping along. "You're too kind. You remind me of my youngest daughter actually, always looking out for other people."

"Oh really? How old is she?"

"I think nine now? It's hard to keep track of time nowadays." They came to an intersection and John pulled them to the left. "Her name's Michela. Tough, but a sweet girl. I think she's handling all this better than I am."

"It's a hard world," Sam agreed. "I can't imagine growing up as a kid during this."

"Her sister looks out for her." He sighed. "I'm a bit useless though. I don't think it's long before I keel over. But I'll do my best for them."

"Don't say that," Sam said. "If you've survived for this long I'm sure you have a few good years left in you."

John chuckled. "That's because my daughters look out for me too." He winced and became sombre. "They're good girls. I hope that things work out for him after I'm gone."

"I'm sure with you watching over them they'll be fine." Sam found it easy to talk to John - he was like that charming old man who lived by himself in the flat upstairs. It was so nice to just have a normal conversation as well, to have someone else to talk to.

There was a screech to their right which was silenced almost immediately as Sam heard the _twang_ of Lara's bow. She looked up and saw the biter drop a few metres in front of them, an arrow between its eyes.

"You two should keep quiet," Lara told them, but her tone wasn't harsh. "We don't want to draw more biters here."

Sam glanced back at Lara curiously. She wasn't scowling anymore but instead looked wistful. Sam wanted to ask her what she was thinking but she didn't think Lara would appreciate that.

"Of course," John said, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Let's go."

They continued onwards in silence, Sam helping John hop towards the pub. Lara followed behind them, bow at the ready.

Within another half an hour, they arrived at a grimy pub in the middle of the road.

"This is where they said they'll be," John said. He grimaced. "It doesn't seem like they're here though. I hope they made it out alright."

"You two should stay outside," Lara said, walking past them. "I'll check inside to see if it's safe first."

"Be careful," Sam called after her.

Lara glanced back and smiled faintly at her before slowly pushing the door open with her axe. It was a tense few minutes when Lara disappeared into the building, and Sam strained her ears to hear if she was alright. Eventually she emerged again, holding the door open for them. "It's safe," she said.

Sam helped John into the pub and then over to a table with seats by the wall. The table here had a good view of the door, while not being instantly noticeable if anyone walked in.

"Do you mind if I take a look at your ankle?" Sam asked him. "Just to see how bad it is."

"Go ahead," John said, shifting back further into the sofa.

Sam lifted his foot onto the chair and gently loosened his boot. His ankle was largely swollen and there was a blue bruise forming over it. She wasn't sure how she was going to get his shoe back on when it was that big but for now they needed to make sure the injury didn't get worse.

"Hey Lara, could you help me wrap his ankle?"

Lara found a thin apron in the backroom which they used to wrap his ankle tightly. After that, Sam elevated his leg with a container she found behind the bar and sat opposite him.

"When are they coming?" Lara asked, leaning by a window near the door.

John sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I'm not sure," he said sombrely. "I thought they would have been here first."

"We'll stay until they arrive," Lara said. Sam raised her eyebrows at her, surprised at the sudden generosity.

John chuckled next to her. "For your payment, of course."

Well that made a lot more sense. Lara looked at him for a moment then away, and Sam could have sworn there was remorse in those eyes.

Suddenly, the door next to Lara opened. Sam stiffened and watched Lara take a step back, drawing her pistol and pointing it at whoever was coming in.

A woman stepped in through the door, scanning the pub cautiously. Her eyes widened when she saw Sam staring back but before she could do anything Lara pressed the gun to her head.

"Don't," Lara said.

Sam stared at the woman then looked back at John. He mouthed, " _who is it?"_ at her and she shrugged. This seemed like John's daughter but before she could say anything the woman spoke.

"We don't have to fight alright? I don't want to hurt you."

"Shania?" John called.

"Dad?!" She turned angrily to Lara. "What did you do to him?"

Sam rushed out from behind the chair. "He's okay," she said quickly. "He's just resting here."

"It's okay, I'm fine!" He stuck his head out and smiled at his daughter.

Lara dropped her arm and Shania looked at her cautiously before rushing towards her father. Sam stepped aside for her. Behind Shania, another, younger girl followed, looking at Lara and Sam nervously before running past them.

"Dad!" Shania tackled her father in a big hug. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Dad, dad!" The other girl rushed up to him and embraced him tightly. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Sam retreated to the bar and stood next to Lara, who was watching the newly reunited family with a wistful look on her face.

Sam nudged her gently. "You alright?" she asked.

Lara glanced at her and smiled faintly. "Yeah… I'm fine," she answered.

There was…something else that was bothering her, Sam saw. She had been quiet on this trip, and not in her usual, tense way. She wasn't sure what it was but Lara would share it with her if she wanted to.

Sam reached up and stroked her cheek gently with the back of her finger. Lara smiled warmly at her and Sam smiled back.

"Hey," Shania said. Sam looked back at her and saw that a lot of the wariness had faded from her features. One hand was resting on John's shoulder. "Thank you for helping my father. You didn't have to do that but you did anyways."

"It was no problem," Sam said, smiling at them. "I'm glad we could help."

"Shania," John said. "How much food do we have left?"

Shania frowned at him. "Not much, why?"

"I…may have promised Sam and Lara a reward for helping me," he winced.

"What?!" Shania exclaimed.

"Dad, we don't have enough food as it is!" The other girl said. Sam realised that the girl might be Michela. "Why did you say that?"

"It's okay," Lara said, stepping forward. "You can keep your food."

Sam raised an eyebrow and John stared at her skeptically. "Are…are you sure?"

"Yes. It's okay, really. If you guys are alright, we'll leave you to it."

"I umm…thank you," John said. "I am eternally grateful for what you've done for me. I hope you two stay safe."

Lara nodded and turned towards the door.

"You too," Sam said. She waved goodbye to the family then followed Lara outside.

They left the pub and walked for the rest of the day through Bath. Lara was still quiet, and Sam didn't think she wanted to share. Sam was worried, and she wondered if it had something to do with her parents. Lara had lost them at the start of this and she knew it had taken a huge toll on her. Maybe seeing John and his daughters reminded her of them.

When they had about an hour left until sunset, they decided to stay in a free house. It had been a long few days of travelling and she couldn't wait to sleep comfortably.

There were a few biters wandering around inside but they were quickly disposed of. They ate whilst there was still light, and after that Lara retreated out the backyard, saying she wanted some fresh air. Sam reluctantly let her go, worried but unsure whether Lara wanted to talk about it or not.

She lay down in the master bedroom, resting her hands behind her head, trying to get to sleep. She thought she had drifted off for a moment, until a faint scream in the distance started her awake again.

Sam opened her eyes and looked out the window; there was still light, but the sun was setting. She sat up and saw that Lara still hadn't returned. How long had it been?

She got out of the bed and walked to the backyard. The house was eerily quiet, and the orange, afternoon light made the rooms look even dustier. Lara wasn't anywhere to be seen and Sam chewed on her lip, wondering if something had happened to her.

"Lara?" she called out loud.

"Up here."

Sam looked up and saw a tree house which had a layer of leaves hanging over it. Was she in there?

"Where?"

"The treehouse. There's a ladder on the trunk."

Sam walked forward and climbed up the tree. The board rungs were thin but she was able to get up without too much trouble. Lara was sitting against the back wall, her knees drawn up to her chest.

"What are you doing up here?" Sam asked, sitting down next to her.

Lara shrugged. "Just…thinking," she said. Her voice was soft, and lacked any of the stress and firmness that she always had.

"Are…are you alright?" Sam asked hesitantly. "You've been quiet since we left the pub."

Lara chuckled humorlessly. "That's you, Sam; always concerned about other people."

"You didn't answer my question." When Lara remained silent she continued. "Is this about your parents? Did seeing John and his daughters remind you of them?"

Lara blinked and looked at her. "That's…not what this is about," she said. "He and Shania did remind me of my father, but it was just such a nice thing you did, offering to help them…If you didn't jump in to help John there would be two more lonely daughters in the world."

She sighed and looked away. "I'm proud of you. You helped John even when I wouldn't."

So Lara was beating herself up over this? "You did help in the end," she said.

"Only because of you."

"You're not a bad person, Lara."

Lara narrowed her eyes. "Can you really say that knowing what I've done in the past?"

Sam hesitated and Lara noticed. "See? I've killed a lot of people - including children. I don't understand why you keep having faith in me…" She looked down. "…or why you're with me at all."

Sam put her hand on her girlfriend's knee. "Lara, you're not a bad person," she insisted. "You're cautious, and that's a good thing in this world, but you're not entirely without heart."

When Lara remained silent, Sam hit her lightly. "You say you only helped John because of me but you were the one who let them keep their food. You didn't do that because of me did you?"

Lara looked up and frowned. "Well…no." she admitted, "They had three people. I think they needed the food more than we did."

"See? That's from the kindness of your heart. And I see your soft and squishy side all the time. I feel safe with you.

"I trust people too easily sometimes," Sam admitted. "I need someone like you to balance me out, tell me when I'm being stupid." She brushed Lara's bangs away from her face, letting her fingers rest on her cheek. "We work well together, and that's why we make a good team…and a good couple."

Lara looked at her and smiled - a real smile this time. Her eyes sparkled in the last rays of sunlight as she studied her. "You're too good for me," she said.

Lara had no reason to feel inadequate. "Or maybe you just underestimate yourself."

Lara smiled and leaned in, their lips meeting. They sat there making out slowly for a few minutes, her hands wrapped behind her neck, and Sam was just content to stay like that for the next hour.

Lara eventually pulled back though, and looked at her with heavy lidded eyes. "Do you want to go back to the room?" she asked quietly.

Sam stared at her in silence, breathing heavily from their previous kiss. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes." Lara looked away for a moment and licked her lips. "Life is short," she said, looking back. "I don't want to leave this world with any regrets."

Sam stroked her cheek and kissed her again- a deep kiss that stole their both their breaths. She ran her tongue across Lara's bottom lip and then whispered, "Then what are you waiting for?"

* * *

Sam laid back on the bed, pulling Lara on top of her. Their mouths sought each other out in the low light, engaging in a delicious, slow dance. She leaned back, exposing her neck, as Lara trailed kisses along it.

Her tongue skimmed across the bottom of her ear. "I want you," Lara whispered.

Sam shivered and she felt it go all the way to her groin. She moaned into Lara's shoulder and had to restrain herself from tearing off the rest of their clothes.

She leaned back to look into her dark eyes. "Then take me," she breathed.

Sam helped Lara unbutton her shirt and then shed the rest of her clothes. Without that hindrance in the way, Sam ran her hands all over her, relishing the feeling of the hard muscle under smooth skin. Lara herself seemed to enjoy taking her in; running her hand along her thigh when she bent it up.

Lara kissed her ear, her arms on either side of her. "Show me what to do," she said. "Please."

Sam opened her eyes. Lara was nuzzling her neck but Sam could feel each shaky breath she exhaled.

"Lara," she whispered, turning her face towards her. Lara opened her eyes. She could see the nervousness in them. Sam kissed her jaw. "Relax. It's okay."

Lara smiled wryly at her and Sam cupped her cheek with a hand. "I still have the condoms in my pocket," she said.

Lara laughed and Sam could feel the tension break. "You didn't actually take them did you?" she asked.

Sam shrugged and grinned. She didn't, but it was worth seeing Lara laugh. "I needed to be prepared."

"Worried I'll get you pregnant?"

"You can't be too careful these days."

Lara chuckled and brushed her lips along her cheek. "You're an idiot," she murmured and kissed her again.

Sam grinned as she opened her mouth for her tongue. She took Lara's hand and guided it down, over the ticklish panes of her stomach and between her legs. Her fingers brushed her entrance, made her shudder. Another second and then they slipped in. She gasped; air rushing in and then out just as quickly as a whimper.

She closed her eyes and guided Lara with a hand over hers, enjoying the feeling of Lara moving in and out of her. She eventually dropped her hand and let Lara explore herself.

"Is this alright?" Lara whispered.

Sam nodded, moved her hips in rhythm with her hand. "Keep going," she breathed.

She did.

Each movement of her fingers made her groan, stealing her breath until she was whimpering Lara's name in her ear. She pushed her hips up against her hand, sucked hard on Lara's neck as she pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

When she came she came hard, screaming Lara's name in a loud moan. Her nails dug into her back as pleasure arced through her body. Lara grimaced, and then held her against her as she came down from her high.

She kept her eyes closed in bliss, felt kisses on her cheek; slow, tender, leading down along her neck, and then back to her mouth. Lara.

Her eyes flickered open and she smiled at the girl above her. Lara smiled back, her features so soft and gentle. Sam cupped her cheek and ran her thumb across her lower lip, admiring how pillowy they were.

"Was that okay?" Lara asked quietly, nuzzling into her hand.

"It was good," Sam smiled, drawing circles on her bare hip absent mindedly. She pecked her lips. "Stop worrying."

Lara smiled down at her, cheeks slightly pink. Sam chuckled. God she was cute. She pushed her down by the shoulder and rolled half on top of her.

"Your turn right?" she asked, grinning.

Lara smiled nervously. "Yeah?" she said. The way she said it made it sound like a question.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You're not sure if you want it?"

Lara was instantly flustered. "Yeah I do- I mean no- I mean-"

Sam laughed and kissed her. "Always so polite, Lady Croft," she said. She grabbed her breasts and ran her thumbs over her nipples, feeling them harden. Lara caught her breath and squirmed beneath her.

Sam grinned at her. Knowing that she could make someone like Lara come undone with such a simple action was such an ego booster. She wasn't done with her teasing though. Sam abandoned her breasts and started kissing down her body; between her breasts, along the ridges of her abs and then one on each inner thigh.

Her skin was smooth, even with the mottled blue bruises and red scrapes on them. In fact, these imperfections just enhanced her beauty. They were evidence of all the battles she had been through; evidence of a survivor.

Sam sat back and traced a long, white scar which ran along the outside of Lara's thigh. She wondered what had happened. A knife fight? A bullet graze?

"What's wrong?" Lara asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

Sam looked up. Lara's brow was slightly furrowed- half in concern, half in worry, yet she was still beautiful. A part of Sam had always been jealous of Lara's looks. They had attracted both boys and girls back in school so effortlessly, whilst Sam needed to work to even come close to Lara's beauty.

Now though, Sam thought she was the luckiest girl in the world to be here with her.

"You're perfect," she said, not looking away from her eyes. Lara smiled timidly and Sam crawled back up to her. She kissed her again, sliding a hand between them and then into Lara's very wet entrance.

Lara exhaled as if releasing a great breath. "That-that feels good," she whispered.

Sam smiled. "It should, sweetie."

Lara closed her eyes, lips slightly parted as Sam continued, fingers moving in and out.

The rest was all breathless sounds and rocking hips. Ecstasy. Reflected in the throaty moans which Sam felt all the way in her groin. Lara moaned her name once, her breathing strained.

Hands gripped her hips as she neared. Pulled them closer, pressed her fingers harder into her body. A scream as she climaxed, jaw open, breathing stilted, writhing underneath her. She arched up against her, pressing their bodies together that Sam could feel her shivering. Thighs clamped tight around her hand, her breath hot and heavy against her neck.

Panting, as she came down, limbs lying uselessly on the bed. Sam wrapped her arms around her waist and bent a leg between hers. She smiled and watched Lara lay next to her, regaining her breath.

"That okay?" she asked, kissing her shoulder.

Lara rolled onto her side and looked into her eyes. She slid her hands around the back of her neck and then drew her into a deep kiss. That was an answer enough.

Sam closed her eyes and lost herself to Lara's taste.

This was perfect - a moment of pure bliss. Sam couldn't have imagined a better way for this to happen. She knew she kept thinking this, but she could stay this way for the rest of her life and be happy.

They broke the kiss and Lara brushed their noses together. Sam might have whimpered at the gesture. There was just something about how gentle she was that made Sam swoon every time.

Lara wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against her. Sam closed her eyes and smiled when Lara kissed the base of her neck.

Bliss.

Sam opened her eyes slowly, staring up at the ceiling. She yawned and looked around, realising that there was sunlight streaming through the blinds. It had to be early morning or something.

Lara was sleeping half on her stomach in front of her, an arm outstretched over Sam's stomach protectively. Sam rolled onto her side and ran a hand over her back. There was a large bruise on her trapezoid and she saw several small, red marks from where she had scratched her last night.

Ouch. Sam felt briefly guilty about that but then grinned as she remembered how _amazing_ last night was. They were a trophy if anything - a testament to the Englishwoman's prowess.

She propped herself up on an elbow and kissed Lara's neck, the other hand running along her waist.

Lara stirred from her sleep and turned her head in her direction. Sam kissed her lips and Lara opened her mouth immediately.

"Mmm good morning," Lara breathed when they finally parted. She lay back on her pillow and smiled lazily up at her.

"Morning stranger," Sam grinned. She was still propped over Lara so she trailed her fingers back and forth over her stomach. "How'd you sleep?"

"Amazingly," she smiled. "The best I have in years."

"Aren't you happy you won't die a virgin now?" she asked. "And you couldn't do better than me for your first time."

Lara rolled her eyes. "Always so humble, Nishimura."

Sam grinned. "You know it's true," she said, leaning down and capturing Lara's lips in her own.

"Mmm it is," Lara murmured against her lips.

They kissed for another few minutes. Lara had shifted to get a better position and had bent a leg between hers. The pressure was arousing and Sam was ready to slip her hand down there again when her stomach rumbled loudly.

They both stopped and looked down between them as Sam chuckled nervously. "I guess I'm hungry," she said.

Lara laughed. "I am too, actually." She sat up and Sam rolled onto her back. "I'll go heat up some food," she said, picking her clothes up off the floor. "You can just relax."

Sam watched Lara button up her shirt. "Okay," she said.

Lara finished redressing and smiled back at her. "Be right back," she said, pecking her on the lips.

* * *

"There's nothing in this house," Lara growled, standing up from the cupboards she was looking through. She didn't even close the doors this time - just left them open as she marched towards the door.

Sam followed her out the door. She couldn't find anything either. "It's okay, Lara," she said, "We'll find something."

Lara sighed and shook her head. "Maybe we should just head to Bristol now. There's probably more food there than in the city we've been ransacking for the past year."

Sam sighed as she considered the thought. Lara had proposed this to her before, but Sam had said that it was a better idea to find food then start their next trip. They were down to their last can and their supplies had only lasted this long through studious rationing. If they encountered trouble they might not be able to get out of it.

"Let's try a few more houses okay?" Sam suggested. "It wouldn't hurt."

Lara didn't look hopeful as they moved into the next few houses. They searched everywhere for any trace of food, but there was nothing for the first two houses. In the third however, Sam found a protein bar which had fallen under a table.

"Yes!" Sam said, crawling out from under the table. "I found something!"

"Really?" Lara rushed over to her and looked at her find.

"I know it's small but it's how it's used that counts right?" Sam joked.

Lara looked up at her, cracking a small smile. "You eat it," she said. "I'll find something else."

"What?" There was no way she was doing that. "You're hungry too. We'll just break it in half and both have some."

"Sam, it's barely enough for one person. It's better if you have it and regain your strength than both of us gaining nothing from it."

That made sense but she wasn't going to eat this while her girlfriend went hungry. "Lara, you need to eat."

A flash of irritation passed over her face. "I'll be fine," she said.

"No you won't if you don't eat."

"Sam! Just eat it okay?!" Lara snapped. A second later she reddened and covered her face with her hands. "God, I'm sorry," she said, looking back at her ashamedly. "I'm just..."

Sam unwrapped the protein bar and broke it in half, shoving one half into Lara's hands. "Here," she said, "Eat."

She walked away before Lara had the chance to protest. She was hungry, and it was making her angry. Sam knew she didn't mean to snap at her and it was sweet of her to let her have all the food. But it was stupid, and it didn't feel right eating whilst Lara was still starving.

The rest of the house yielded nothing and they soon moved on to the next. Sam searched through the living room, thinking that small bits of food could be found in the most unorthodox of places.

She hoped there was food, but all she found was a flask of bourbon in a Bible, and that wasn't useful.

She slid the book back into the shelf and then felt an arm slide around her waist.

"For you," Lara said in her ear. She held out a single rose out in front of her.

Sam's heart fluttered and she took the rose gently between her fingers. "What's this?" she asked, turning around to Lara with a smile.

Her girlfriend smiled shyly with the hint of a sparkle in her eye. "A thank you," she said. "For being so lovely."

Sam admired the rose in her hand. It must have been flowering season, as it was a dark, vibrant red and the petals cupped each other perfectly. The thorns had even been cut off - something Lara must have done herself.

Romance was something Sam was unused to - everyone she had been with after the outbreak had only been interested in one thing, whilst the boys she flirted with back in school were awkward and juvenile.

Romance felt really…nice.

"It's beautiful," she said. "Just like you."

Lara smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry for snapping at you before," she said. "I was just-"

Sam put a hand on her chest. "I know."

Lara relaxed and exhaled in relief. "Good. I was worried you'd be mad at me."

"Even if I was mad this makes up for it." Sam put the rose under her nose and smelt it, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again she looked at Lara seductively over the rim. From the way Lara's eyes darkened she knew she had its intended effect.

Sam grinned and walked around her, to the middle of the room. "Would you like to tango?"

Lara raised her eyebrows. "You know how to tango?"

Sam cocked her head. "I'm more surprised you know how to be honest."

"I took lessons as a child," she said, walking up to her. "Along with the other ballroom dances."

"Nerd." Sam grinned and put the stem of the rose between her teeth, holding her hands out for Lara to take. Sam put one hand on the back of Lara's shoulder whilst she rested hers against her hip. They clasped their other hands together then began to dance.

They hadn't taken five steps when Lara accidently stepped on her foot.

"Mrghph!" Sam said with the rose in her mouth.

"Sorry…Ow! That's _my_ toe!"

Sam giggled despite herself. They twirled around the room clumsily, each step landing more often than not on each other's feet than on the floor. This was in no way a tango, and Sam could only imagine what idiots they looked like.

Sam descended into a fit of giggles at the spectacle, screwing up their dance even more. Lara grinned but she could see it was starting to infect her as well. "Come on Sam-Shit!"

Lara took another step back and then pitched backward, dragging Sam down as well. Sam yelped, the rose falling from her lips as she landed on top of Lara. That broke the dam and Sam laughed aloud, burying her face in Lara's shoulder. "We suck!" she said.

Lara was laughing as well as she placed a hand on her lower back. "We're not that bad," she chuckled.

Sam looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. Lara grinned and shrugged. "Okay, perhaps we are."

Sam giggled again. They really shouldn't have tried this when Sam's only lessons had been from a Youtube video five years ago. How did she think she would be impressive with those skills?

Lara was watching her with a smile. "I love you," she said.

Sam froze and looked down at Lara, her laughs fading quickly into a gape. Lara looked back at her with a completely soft and serene expression - love.

Panic seized her chest. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. "Umm…" She quickly got off Lara as her mind scrambled for an excuse. "I need to go."

Sam ran out to the backyard, and instantly gripped her hair and shut her eyes.

 _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit._

What was she doing? She was getting in over her head with Lara.

This was just…just…

Just what, Sam didn't know but it wasn't meant to get this serious. She had allowed herself to become attached before and they all ended up leaving her sooner or later. It was stupid to love Lara - not that she did of course.

She sat down on the grass and moaned into her hands. She didn't love Lara. She couldn't. They had only gotten together in the last two weeks and as great as those weeks had been, that wasn't enough time to fall in love with someone. She had no idea how Lara could even say those words but now she had to deal with it.

Sam breathed deeply until she was calm again. This was going to be awkward.

She had run out on someone after they said that they loved her. How was she going to let her down gently?

Sam picked at the grass and stared at the fence. Lara was going to be so crushed. She hated seeing her so sad, and disappointing her was like kicking a puppy. Would things even be the same between them anymore after this?

Her eyes landed on a rosebush in the corner of the yard. It looked like it was once neatly trimmed, but it was now overgrown and there were several buds of red amongst the deep green.

Well…gifts were always a nice way to begin.


	27. Kill or Be Killed

Thanks for the reviews! and to CosmicGunslinger for editing!

* * *

Lara sat on the couch with her head in her hands, grinding the palms of her hands into her eyes.

What the fuck. What the fuck was she thinking? ' _I love you?'_ Why did she say that?

It had felt right in the moment - they were starving, constantly in the danger and had no idea what would happen tomorrow, let alone a year from now.

Yet… Lara didn't care. Sam made all the fear and anxiety go away. She was the small puppy, chasing the horrors away and guiding her to the islands of light.

She was here with Sam _right now,_ and she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Idiot.

Sam didn't feel the same way. That was clear from the way she ran out. It was too soon, too serious, too quickly. They had only been together for a few weeks, what the hell was she thinking?

Blaming herself didn't make the hurt in her heart any duller. Sam didn't say it back. She didn't feel the same way. Would she ever now? Or did Lara completely bugger things up between them with her stupid impulse?

Maybe she should go outside and apologise. She had heard Sam run for the backyard and no doubt she was still out there. Maybe she should go out, laugh it off as a joke and hope that things wouldn't be awkward between them.

No.

Lara had said the words. She meant them. She loved Sam, and she wouldn't have survived these last months without her. She needed to give Sam space; she would come back when she was ready. Besides, the longer she stayed away the more time Lara had to prepare herself for the inevitable embarrassment.

She stood up and resumed searching the room, trying to keep busy. There wasn't any food here but there were batteries here they could use.

There were small, tentative steps into the room. Lara glanced around and saw that it was Sam. She turned back quickly and pretended to be very interested in the drawer she was looking through.

"Hey…" Sam said. "Find anything?"

Lara shrugged. "Two batteries," she said.

"Umm…nice…" A silence settled between them.

Lara sighed and turned to her. "I'm sorry…" she started hesitantly, "…about before." She didn't mean to put Sam in an awkward position but she didn't say that.

Sam closed her eyes and took a breath. "I'm sorry, Lara," she said, keeping her eyes shut. "But I don't love you." She opened her eyes.

Lara knew that but it didn't hurt any less hearing it confirmed. She tried to keep her face casual. "Yeah…I figured…

"Let me finish," Sam said, holding up a hand. She took another breath. "I _really_ like you Lara. I mean, you're kind and you're smart and I feel safe when I'm with you. I'm just…not ready to get that serious yet, okay? I mean we've only been together for two weeks and it's all moving a bit fast. I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves and get hurt if something happens."

Lara rubbed the back of her neck and nodded. She wanted to move past this mortifying incident. "Yeah I get it," she said softly. "I don't want to pressure you or make you feel like we're rushing things."

"I know."

Sam gave her a small smile and brought out a rose hidden behind her back. Lara smiled and blushed. Perhaps this wasn't the end of the world after all. She took the rose and twirled it between her fingers. "Thank you," she said.

"So…are we okay?" Sam asked.

Lara put her arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Of course," she said, hugging her.

* * *

After that very awkward confession, things between them…weren't much better. Despite saying they were fine, Lara sensed that Sam wasn't comfortable with the situation.

When Lara hugged her to her side one time, Sam stiffened up before she 'relaxed'. Lara thought it was a one off but Sam was like that whenever Lara did something intimate with her. She remained stiff, responded to her touches with awkward smiles and wasn't the same around her. That wasn't consistent though. Two nights later Sam snuggled into her side and even fell asleep in her arms. They didn't do anything else, but even that small act of intimacy was enough to leave Lara confused.

After that, tiredness from hunger took over, and they barely had enough energy to walk, let alone worry about anything else.

They arrived in Bristol within a day, and they were still starving. On the road between Bristol and Bath, they had finished their last can of food and Lara had only managed to kill a few birds to eat. Hydration was less of a problem as they were able to purify water they found from toilets, coolers, and some fridges with the tincture of iodine Lara had, so food remained the biggest issue.

She had forgotten what starvation felt like. A constant pang in her stomach which made her want to curl up into a ball. It was horrible for the first few days, and she was constantly thinking about all the delicious food she had last eaten.

Sam didn't seem to be faring too well either. Usually optimistic, she had become surly and impatient.

"There has to be food somewhere…" Sam muttered angrily, looking through the shelves of a convenience store. "God, I'm so hungry."

Lara looked at her sadly. She wanted to say that they'd find something but she didn't have the energy to fake it. Instead, she put her hand on her shoulder gently.

"I know," she said tiredly. It pained her to see her girlfriend like this with no way of helping her. "Let's search somewhere else."

They continued to search the strip of shops in this district. Each place was painfully devoid of food. Lara had half a mind to travel back to the road between Bath and Swindon where there actually was food, if not shelter. But it was too dangerous to go back that way, and Lara didn't want to be anywhere near the resort again.

They were searching a restaurant at the end of the road. It looked like it was once a nice, rustic, Italian place, with brick walls and even a fireplace at one wall. Lara thought that this would have been a nice place to take Sam out on a date, maybe show her how to make a lasagne without setting off the fire alarm. She was about to mention it to Sam when she heard a cough.

Lara turned around and listened carefully. The person sounded extremely sick from the heckles and the gargles they made. She heard them spit once and then it was silent again.

She turned back to Sam who had clearly heard as well. Lara nodded towards the kitchen from which she had heard the sound and Sam snuck over to her as they then tiptoed into the room.

Lara drew her gun as she scanned the kitchen. There was no one there, and the stoves and countertops remained dirty and untouched. It wasn't until when she rounded the counter to the far side of the kitchen that they saw a middle aged man shivering on the floor.

"What happened to him?" Sam whispered to her.

"Mmm Ryan?!" the man called, rolling over and pawing at the air. Despite the outcry, Lara felt as if he hadn't heard them, that he was trapped in a state of semi-consciousness.

"He's sick," Lara guessed. The man didn't look like he was staying here, more like he had crawled here sometime today. There was an open duffel bag next to him, and in it Lara could see the shiny tops of a few cans of food. "He has food," she said.

Finally, they would get to eat.

Sam looked to where she was looking and her mouth tightened. "We can't take it from him," she said.

Lara turned to her. "Aren't you hungry?" she asked. Lara was; she was practically salivating at the thought of eating again.

Sam grimaced. "Yes…but he's right there. He's sick; he needs it more than us."

Lara disagreed. "He's sick, he doesn't need it anymore." She walked forward before Sam could stop her. Lara leaned down carefully to pick up the bag, watching the man in case he moved. He was sweating, and his teeth were clenched tight along with his eyes.

Lara hooked her fingers under the straps of the duffel and slowly lifted it up.

Someone yelped behind them. Lara dropped the bag and pointed the gun at the teenager standing by the back entrance. He instantly dropped the crowbar he was holding and held his hands up. "Don't shoot!" he yelped. "Please!"

"Don't move," Lara warned."

"Who-who are you?" he asked. He was scrawny, and he looked just a few years younger than them.

"None of your business." Lara said. She glanced down at the man quickly but he showed no indication of waking.

"You can't take our food," he begged. "Please!"

Sam had lowered her gun and was looking back at Lara. Her stare was knowing, and Lara knew if she had a chance of convincing Sam of this before she didn't now.

"We need it," the man said. "My brother's sick and we haven't eaten properly in days."

Lara didn't lower her gun at the younger man. She didn't want to do this, and she felt insanely guilty about it. But the pain in her stomach overruled her heart and she picked up the bag.

"I'm sorry," she said, slinging the duffel bag over her shoulder. "But we need the food too."

"Lara-" Sam began.

"Don't, Sam," she interrupted.

The man took a step forward and Lara instinctively pulled the trigger. She shot his leg, and he collapsed to the floor crying out in pain. "Argh! My leg!"

"Lara!" Sam shouted, spinning around to her. "What the fuck?!"

She didn't mean to do that. Her nerves had been frayed since the man entered the kitchen; she had just reacted on instinct. Lara quickly ran around the counter to see where the man was but he was still on the floor clutching his leg, his hands covered in blood.

"Please don't kill me!" he begged, tears spilling down his cheeks.

Lara looked between him and his leg. It was bleeding too much, and she realised that she might have hit an artery. They couldn't stay here though; the gunshot was sure to have attracted biters and it would take too much time trying to stabilize the man.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

She grabbed Sam's hand and ran out the door. The way ahead had biters wandering towards them so they were forced to run back the way they came. Although they were weak, the adrenaline fuelled their muscles, allowing them to run far enough away from the biters.

When she couldn't hear the screeches anymore, Lara sat down in the middle of the street and began transferring the three cans of food into her bag.

"We just killed those people," Sam realised, her hands over her mouth. "Holy fuck."

"We didn't kill them, the biters did," Lara said. That was an important differentiation to make.

"We might as well have! You shot that guy and his brother is sick!"

"It was an accident!" Lara defended. She bit her lip instantly, remembering her the recoil in her hands as the pistol fired. "I didn't mean to. It just…I don't know, it just happened."

"You ' _just happened'_ to shoot the guy?" Sam repeated incredulously. "Just like you always do?"

Lara frowned. "That's not fair, Sam."

"No, but it keeps happening, doesn't it?" she accused. She ran her hand through her hair and started pacing. "I can't believe this. What the fuck did we just do?"

Lara stood up and grabbed her shoulders. "We needed the food Sam. We had to do it."

Sam stared at her. "We just _robbed and killed_ two people, Lara," she repeated, louder. "How can you not see how bad this is?"

Lara wasn't sure what to say, so she resorted to logic. "They looked like they were going to die anyways," she said. "The one on the floor at least. This food is better off with us."

Sam shook her hands off her shoulders, her face twisting into a scowl. "So that makes it okay for you to rob and kill them?!" she snapped.

"I didn't kill him!" Lara said again. "They might still be alive!"

"Fine! You didn't kill him but you robbed him, _and_ doomed him and his brother, all for some food!"

It wasn't ' _just food_ '- they needed this to survive. They didn't get it under ideal circumstances but why couldn't Sam see that it was necessary?

She gritted her teeth. "I'm trying to keep us alive, Sam," she growled. "I'm sorry that the way I'm doing it doesn't align with your morals. Now come on, we need to go."


	28. The Good in this World

Thanks for the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

The gunshot had drawn the attention of every biter within a mile, and Lara and Sam spent the rest of the day evading them. It was tiring, and by the end of the day she was ready to go to bed.

Lara opened the cans of food that she had stolen today and handed one to her. Sam looked at it distastefully, remembering how they had acquired it, and part of her didn't feel hungry. Two men had possibly died because of what they did, and even if Lara hadn't accidently shot one of them she was still going to steal from them anyways. It didn't feel right eating it.

"Are you seriously not going to eat?" Lara asked.

She wanted to say no, she wasn't going to eat something so cruelly gained. A stronger person would have said no.

She took the can.

A stronger person didn't know the hunger pain she was feeling and she wasn't going to turn down food that she needed, even if the method of acquirement was immoral. Each bite was amazing and sharp, her taste buds sensitive after a week of famine. It was over too soon but she was sated, and her mood was lifted without having the insistent pang in her stomach.

"I know today didn't go as planned," Lara said quietly. "But it turned out well, didn't it?"

Sam glared at her. Things definitely did not turn out the way they had planned, and she wasn't sure it turned out 'well'. They had gone from scavengers to robbers - possibly murderers, and Lara thought that was fine?

Sam stood up without responding and headed into one of the bedrooms she had cleared. She was tired, and she didn't want to fight with Lara now. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

The next two days were once again spent scavenging for food. They didn't run into anyone else whom they could steal from, and Sam was glad for that. However they didn't find much either, and after they consumed the last can of food they were once again starving.

Sam didn't speak to Lara - partly because she was so tired but also because she didn't know what to say to her. What Lara had done back at that restaurant…even if you didn't take into account accidently shooting the man, Lara was still going to rob them. Right in front of them.

It wasn't right. This wasn't what Lara would normally do, and in the past she always had a reason for her actions. They were both hungry, and that was their reason now, but was that really a good enough reason? Was it really good enough when you were dooming someone else to the fate you once had?

"Are still you still not going to talk to me?" Lara finally asked when they stopped for a break. They were sitting on a bench in the middle of the street.

Sam looked over at her silently. Lara had a great poker face, but usually when she was struggling with some internal torment it would show somehow in her body language. She might have been delusional, but Sam could see none of that now.

"Come on, Sam," Lara growled. "It's done. It's over. We ate the food and you enjoyed it. Can we just move on already?"

'Just move on'? ' _Just move on'_? "Are you serious Lara?" she snapped. "You have no idea what's wrong do you?"

Lara looked away, but she was still scowling. "I robbed someone," she said. "I'm not proud of it, but we needed the damn food Sam. Why are you being such a hypocrite about this? You ate the food as well!"

"We shouldn't have taken it in the first place!" Sam said. "It's not right!"

"Neither is killing people but we've both done that in the past!" Lara shouted back. "If anything this is nicer!"

"Do you hear yourself Lara?" Sam asked, standing up. "What you're saying? How you're rationalising everything out so it justifies what you did. If someone came along _right now_ , with food…would you take it from them?"

Lara closed her eyes for a moment and Sam got her answer. "Do you see what I mean, Lara? I don't know how you're comfortable with this but I'm not. This isn't the Lara I know. You're doing the exact same thing as what Vlad did."

Lara scowled and whipped her head to her. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm nothing like Vlad," she hissed.

"No, not yet you aren't."

Lara stood up and stepped uncomfortably close. Lara's boots gave her a slight height advantage on her and now she was using it for all their imposing advantage. "I don't kill people for their things, Sam."

Sam knew she should stop, but she didn't. "You shot that man, Lara. He and his brother are probably dead."

"It was an accident."

"So you keep saying for _everything_ that goes wrong in your life." She held her gaze. "You never think, do you?" she asked. "You always act first and think later, and every time you do that I see a part of the girl I know be replaced with the scum in this world."

Lara swallowed and leaned back a little bit, looking less angry. Sam continued, "You just keep finding new lines to cross and I just…don't think I know who you are anymore. Or ever have, really."

Lara stared at her wordlessly, and when it looked like she wasn't going to respond Sam shook her head and continued down the road.

The next few days proceeded in silence. They found meagre supplies of food; small animals here and there, and random scraps of biscuits, noodles and chips - just enough to keep them alive through this torture.

She had no energy to try to initiate conversation, but whenever she spoke to Lara she would reply unkindly.

"Here," Sam said once, handing half a pack of stale crisps to Lara. "I found some food."

Lara snatched it from her and then immediately turned away to the drawer she had been searching. "Thanks," she said gruffly.

Sam scowled and watched her for a moment. When Lara didn't apologise, or say anything else, she left her alone and continued with her own search.

Their interactions became frosty after that. Lara was obviously reacting to Sam's treatment of her in due kind and Sam felt like that was bullshit.

Lara was mad at her? When she was the one in the wrong? What the fuck?

Her girlfriend was suddenly more indifferent and uncaring to her, and had a short temper for everything she did. If she accidently knocked over a vase, a glare was sent her way. If she complained that she was tired - even to herself - Lara replied with a rough 'You're not the only one'.

Sam suddenly understood what everyone else back at the resort had meant. Up until now, Lara had always shown her kindness, even if it was tinged with disinterest. She didn't know why people at the resort hated her so much. But now…after all they had been through and the way Lara was treating her, she was starting to think that they were right.

Was this who Lara really was? Had she just been blind to it before because she had treated her kindly? Will had said that just because she treated her kindly, it didn't mean she wasn't an asshole.

Maybe this was why she didn't love her. Because she had always doubted Lara's character, and that some part of her knew that beneath the kind exterior she sometimes showed, she was really just a selfish person.

* * *

It had been four days since the restaurant, and their progress through Bristol had slowed dramatically. Aside from spending the majority of the day looking for food, their energy reserves were pushed to the limit from just walking around and avoiding the biters.

The hunger pangs were back…well, they had never really left. They were running on fumes and Sam wanted to give up. They didn't even know where the safe zone in Cardiff was, or if it existed at all. They were heading there based on a rumour Sam had heard from two people who had tried to kill them.

"I'm so tired," Lara murmured, mostly to herself.

Sam glanced at her. Lara was struggling along next to her, and her eyelids were drooping. She had no energy to be mad anymore, yet she still couldn't forget about the callous behaviour Lara had displayed before.

"Is that a can?" Lara asked.

Sam looked forward. Up ahead, there was indeed a silver can on the floor. It looked like it had been dropped.

Girding her hopes in case it turned out to be empty, they both walked up to it. Lara picked it up and examined the label. "Dog food," she said. "Great."

Ugh. The idea of eating dog food was highly unappealing,but it was food, and they were desperate. They had already resorted to eating rats and crows so this wasn't much more of a stretch.

"Its food," Sam said, trying to convince herself more than anything.

"Yeah." Lara put the can in her bag.

There was a tiny whimper from the alleyway. Sam looked behind Lara and saw a king Shepherd padding up to them on four paws. It was smaller than the other Shepherds she had seen before, but it wasn't as thin as some of the dogs she had seen in the cities. It bowed its head and whimpered, sniffing the ground around them.

"Aww, who are you?" Sam asked, kneeling down. The dog approached her and sniffed her curiously, its wet nose tickling her hand. "Hey buddy."

"Sam," Lara said. "Leave it alone. It's too dangerous."

Sam scowled. "Come on, what's so dangerous about this guy?" She risked a chance pat on the dog's head but it had moved onto sniffing her bag. "I think he's hungry," Sam said.

"Of course he is." The Shepherd started sniffing around Lara's feet and then stood up, trying to bite Lara's bag.

"Hey!" Lara dodged out of the way just in time to avoid the bite. "I need that!"

The dog whimpered pathetically and flattened its ears, turning its big brown eyes on Lara. Sam's heart broke seeing it so sad but Lara was having none of it.

"Go away," she growled, taking a few steps back as the Shepherd nuzzled closer again. "I don't have anything." She nudged its nose away with her foot as it sniffed at her.

The dog suddenly growled and sunk its teeth into Lara's ankle. "Fuck!" Lara cried out. She tried to wrench her foot away but the dog munched onto her ankle again. She grabbed her axe from her belt and then hit the dog squarely in the ribs, sending it staggering off her leg. "Bastard!"

Sam bolted up and flailed for her gun, managing to draw it as the dog barked, and charged for Lara again. Her reflexes were slow and the first shot missed as Lara swung at the dog with her axe, and it dodged back on the ground, growling. She shot at it again and this time it sent the dog sprawling across the concrete.

Sam looked at Lara who was wincing as she put her weight on her right ankle. "Are you okay?" Sam asked.

"I'm fine," Lara dismissed. She limped over to where the Shepherd was on the floor, still whimpering and withering as it's life bled from it. Lara knelt down next to it and ended it's misery with a quick slice of her knife. "Pick up the carcass," Lara said to her, stumbling back onto the road. "We'll see if we can cook it tonight."

* * *

The thought of eating dog was even less appealing than eating dog food. There was something wrong about eating man's best friend, even though they had been doing it for years in other countries. Still, her hesitation disappeared when she smelt the delicious scent of cooked meat which made her mouth salivate.

The dog tasted gamey, and a little fatty, but Sam was so glad to have something substantial to eat. There wasn't much meat on that Shepherd, but it was enough to keep them both sated during the night. They tried to eat as much of it as they could as well, cutting out the heart, liver and kidneys to fry in the pan later.

Sam cooked the meat on a small fire in the fireplace with one of the many pans that people left behind. They were in a small house that had been was cosy and there was a quick emergency exit via the window in case anything happened.

Lara was sitting on the couch, taking her boot off and inspecting the bite on her ankle.

Sam felt bad for what had happened. Lara had warned her not to touch the dog yet she had done it anyways, and Lara had got bitten as a result. She really should have had more sense than to play with a stray animal but she had been stupid and wanted to stick it to Lara after she had been such a bitch.

"Hey…" Sam began timidly, "Are you…okay?"

Lara looked over to her. She sighed and hesitated before answering. "I'm okay," she said. "It didn't bite anything major. I can still run on it."

Sam nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," she said sheepishly.

"It's okay." She paused, before adding, "We all make mistakes, right?"

Sam hardly thought that her mistake compared to Lara's. She turned back to the pan without answering and flipped the meat over with the spatula.

"Because I did make a mistake," Lara continued. "I shouldn't have taken their food from them. I was starving, and I knew you were too, so I thought I was…doing _right_ by us. I'm…I'm sorry."

Sam turned around to her. Lara had her head in her hands and her shoulders drooped. She seemed sincere, but was she just saying what she thought Sam wanted to hear?

"Would you do it again?" Sam asked her.

Lara shifted her head in her hands, avoiding the question for just a microsecond too long. She looked up at Sam and licked her lips. "No," she said.

 _I wish I could believe that_ , Sam thought sadly. _I wish I could love you._

The dog ribs were done. Sam put them onto a plate and then handed it to Lara without another word.


	29. Demons

Thanks for the reviews! They are always appreciated. And thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

Lara slept deeply, but not peacefully.

The faces of all her friends flashed by - the people she'd lost, or betrayed in some way. Roth, Alex, Jonah, Reyes…and then there was the first child she shot, the back of the head of the second, and then that young man's desperate face as he begged her to leave him alone.

The little boy sobbed, as Lara saw herself fire a bullet into the back of his head without a second thought. Then she was standing over that young man in the kitchen - his hands held up in defence as tears streaked down his face.

She was holding the gun - Roth's Remmington - as she shot these people. The smoke was still drifting up from the barrel and she could smell the chemicals in the air.

Roth would have been so proud to find out what she was using his legacy to her for; killing innocent people, threatening and intimidating them just so she could get what she wanted. What would her parents think if they could see her today?

 _I had to do it,_ a voice echoed. _We needed to survive._

That voice sent chills down her spine. It was the cold, logical reasoning which she heard whenever she encountered something she couldn't handle.

 _It was for the best._

She was tempted to believe it, but her chest still burnt with guilt. What if Sam was right? What if…she was just like Vladimir?

The thoughts continued to haunt her into the next day as they continued to the M4 bridge.

When Sam first said she was like Vlad she had frozen, incredulous and offended that Sam would even make such a suggestion.

It was impossible, she thought. She could never be like that monster. He had _killed_ people _on purpose_ just to get their things, even when he _wasn't desperate_.

Lara wasn't like that. She was better than him.

What she did…it wasn't right but they _needed_ the food. She had felt herself becoming so weak from the lack of nutrition and they still had so long to go until Cardiff. She was just trying to take care of Sam as well, and she had eaten the food in the end. Why was she still being such a hypocrite about this?

Those thoughts made her mad, and she had given Sam the same treatment she gave her then. Sam was being ungrateful despite what she had done for her, so she wanted to see if ignoring her would produce a response.

It didn't.

Sam continued to ignore her and eventually Lara became too tired to keep up her anger. She started to consider that maybe Sam was right - that she was turning into the monster Vlad was.

It hurt; her girlfriend feeling unsafe around her and thinking she was anything like Vlad. She missed her terribly - she hated the idea that Sam _hated_ her and longed for the time where they were crazy in love.

Yet Lara had screwed that up with what she did. It was a mistake. A big mistake. Her intentions had been good, but her actions had not.

And at the end of the day it was your actions that really mattered.

When Sam did finally talk to her - to apologise for getting her bit by that dog - Lara had admitted this to her. But when she had asked if she would do it again…Lara had hesitated.

"I don't know," would have been the honest answer. She didn't want to lose Sam but she couldn't lose her physically eithe r- to hunger, illness or the biters.

But that wasn't the person Sam wanted, or could ever love.

So she said 'no'…and Sam still hadn't forgiven her.

It was day five of silence.

Lara was so tired now. Everything ached, but her heart ached the most. She missed Sam. She hated being so close to her yet having five thousand miles between them. She hated what she had done, how it had turned her girlfriend against her, and wanted to say anything she could to make it better.

She was _so tired_ though.

She hadn't gotten enough sleep due to the hunger pangs and so her mind couldn't form the eloquent apology she was hoping for.

She wanted to tell Sam that what she did was for her; that she was an idiot who regretted it, that she would never do it again and that she missed her so badly. Instead, she just said, "I love you."

Sam looked over to her from where she was sitting. They were resting in a petrol station for the night. Lara couldn't see her in the darkness, but she could imagine her stoic face as she said, "I know."

Lara waited for another moment, but she didn't say anything else. She sunk back against the wall and stared at the empty shelf, disquieted.

Every relationship had its rough patches but this felt like more than that. What if they couldn't get over this obstacle? What if Sam broke up with her because of what she did?

She was hungry, she was weakening immensely and for the first time since the outbreak had started she was scared. She was scared that Sam was going to leave her because of one stupid mistake.

Sam had been her reason for continuing on in this world when everyone else had left her behind - was there a point in living if she thought she was beyond redemption?

Her stomach growled again and she leaned forward to stop the pain.

Gods, she was so hungry. She leant back again and her ears picked up the pitter-patter of rain outside.

Huh. They had been lucky to avoid any serious downpour as of late which would have delayed their journey.

Lara stood up quietly so as to not wake Sam and headed around to the back of the petrol station, opening the door to outside. A light sprinkle of water brushed her face and she sighed, relishing the feeling of the soft coolness against her skin.

She should put a container out here, one of those slushie cups to collect water for tomorrow. Never having enough food to eat made her drink much more water in comparison, and although they could always find some, it was always bothersome.

Lara collected a few cups from the storeroom and placed them out in the rain by the dumpster so they wouldn't fall over. The rain was just a sprinkle now but it seemed to be getting heavier by the minute.

As she looked up, Lara saw something move in the distance. She caught her breath. It wasn't a biter.

It was a zebra.

 _Food. Finally._ Lara unhooked her bow from around her body and ran after it, careful not to make too much sound. Her ankle was sore from where the dog had bit it but she could push through it.

This was it; her chance to feed them and hopefully get Sam to forgive her.

There would be a lot of meat on that zebra- wait- _zebras._ The first zebra she had been following had a friend, and it looked like they were trying to find shelter from the rain.

These zebras must have come from the zoo, and were roaming wild after the outbreak began. Lara followed them to the awning of a shop just a few metres down from where the petrol station was.

Lara knelt down behind a bench on the street and knocked an arrow. The moon shone through the clouds and rain, providing just enough light for Lara to see them. With a deep breath, Lara pulled the arrow back.

However it was hard to hold the arrow and it snapped away from her hold before she could line up the shot. The arrow hit the ground a foot from the zebras. They both jumped and neighed, bolting off further down the road.

Lara growled and stood up, shooting another arrow after them. She grasped for another one but struggled to knock it properly, and by then, the zebras were long gone.

Lara cried and threw her bow on the ground. The tears she had been holding back burst forth and she slammed her fist against the bench, making it rattle and shake.

Despair settled over her as she sank down onto the bench, sobbing quietly. She blew it. This was her chance to fix things with Sam and save them and she _fucking_ blew it.

She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. Gods, she wouldn't blame Sam if she left her. She was useless. She couldn't even provide a can of beans for the love of her life.

She was a monster. A killer, except when it mattered. She didn't deserve any good in her life.

Off in the distance, there was an explosion. Lara looked up as she heard a biter growl somewhere near her location.

 _What was that?_

Lara scrambled off the bench and headed back towards the petrol station. It didn't really matter. There were biters around and she didn't have the strength to deal with more than one properly.

She slipped back into the station as the rain became heavier, and then took off her dripping jacket. Her pants were wet, but at least her shirt was sort of dry. It didn't seem like they would dry soon but she could always find another set tomorrow. It was becoming hotter and Lara thought she could abandon the leather jacket, however it served as good protection from the biters.

Lara walked back quietly next to Sam who, to her surprise, was awake.

"You're back," she said.

Lara sat down next to her timidly. She didn't want to tell her what had happened, lest she thought less of her than she already did. "Yeah…I needed to relieve myself," she lied.

"For twenty minutes?"

She couldn't tell her. "Yeah."

* * *

Some of the cups she had put out had been knocked over by the wind in the night. Lara stared at them despondently whilst Sam boiled and poured the two cups that had survived into their canteens.

Sam didn't comment about last night. They just picked up their things and continued through Bristol.

This day was harder than the rest. The weather was unusually hot, and Lara drank all her water within the first hour. She hadn't had much sleep last night and every step she took made her feel dizzy.

They were close to the M4 though, and Sam seemed to be fine all things considered. Lara forced herself to keep going despite her headache. Once they got onto the M4 there would be cars, and there had to be something good in them. Then, and only then, would she rest.

The queue of cars signalled the beginning of the motorway. People had been trying to escape the city, and it looked like they had eventually abandoned their cars as the biters overran them. A trail of black smoke rose from the city of Newport off in the distance, and Lara stared at it for a moment before moving on.

Strangely, there weren't any biters on the highway - not that she was complaining. They started searching a few of the cars, the ones that didn't have their doors open, and found a few useful things: matches, batteries, torches, new clothes- but no food. Lara gave up halfway and sat with her head in her hands in one of the cars.

Her throat was dry but she didn't want to ask Sam for her share of the water - it wasn't fair. She still felt dizzy, and it was hard holding onto a thought for more than a few seconds.

A slap on the roof of the car. "Lara."

Lara jumped up and whipped her head to the side. Sam was leaning against the door. "I know you're tired but we need to keep looking," she said.

Lara wanted so badly to say 'no' and just sleep for the rest of the day. Instead, she nodded mutely and climbed out of the car, leaning against it as a fresh wave of dizziness washed over her.

 _It's okay,_ she told herself. _Just keep going._

They continued to search the cars, the traffic getting thicker as they went down the highway. Lara did her best but she ended up leaning against a lot of the cars and forgetting that she was actually meant to be searching for food.

It was horrible. She needed to rest.

"Hey, look what I found!"

Lara opened her eyes. That was not Sam's voice. She turned around and saw a woman searching through a car opposite her. _What the fuck?_ How could she not have seen them?

Lara drew her gun and pointed it at her. "Stop." Her voice came out as a croak, her throat unused to the speech.

The woman turned around and drew her own gun, her eyes narrowing. Lara saw her move like a blur; she must have been really fast or Lara really slow if she didn't catch it. The gun in her hand looked strange, but Lara couldn't figure out why that was.

"We don't need to fight," the woman said.

"Lara?"

Sam came up next to her and the woman turned her gun on her. "Woah!" Sam put her hands up. "Easy there."

"Hey!" A man rounded a large truck in front of them, pointing an actual handgun at them. "Leave her alone!"

"Hey, hey," Sam said calmly, "We don't want to fight here. We were just looking for food."

"So were we," the woman said.

"So we can both just put down the guns, right?" Sam asked.

The man and woman shared a look with each other. "Fine," the woman said. She lowered her flare gun. "Jake?" she asked, looking at him.

The man however, was glaring at Lara, his gun still pointed at her. "Your friend doesn't seem to want to cooperate," he said.

Sam looked at her and smiled nervously. "She's just a little stubborn sometimes," she said. "Lara, drop the gun."

No. This was too risky. She couldn't just drop her gun. What if he shot them when her guard was down? She wanted to speak - to negotiate, but her throat was too dry and she couldn't even think about what she wanted to say.

"Lara," Sam warned. Her tone was serious now. It rang in her ears, making the spinning worse and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shut it out.

"Lara!" Sam snapped. "Drop the fucking gun!"

Lara couldn't hold on anymore. She blacked out, falling.


	30. Is There Somewhere

Thanks for all the reviews! I always appreciate them. Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing. This week's chapter is also inspired by the song, 'Is There Somewhere' by Halsey.

* * *

Panic seized in her chest as she saw Lara fall. "Lara?" she asked.

Lara fell against the car and slid to the floor. When it was clear she wasn't waking up, Sam panicked and hurriedly knelt down next to her. "Lara!" she called.

Her skin was warm - too warm. And her lips were cracked. She wasn't responding to her calls and in desperation she slapped her. "Wake up goddammit!"

"What happened?" the woman asked. "Was she bit?"

Sam looked at them desperately. "No! What?! She wasn't bit!"

Despite that she looked back at Lara and scanned her body for any visible wounds. She would tell her if she was bit, right?

"Stand aside," the woman said, kneeling down next to her. "I'm a nurse. Has she been feeling ill?"

Sam racked her brain. "Umm…yeah," she said. "She seemed really tired, and we've barely been eating anything this past week. She also got bitten by a dog on her ankle before but I thought she disinfected that."

The woman was checking over Lara with the ease of a medical professional. "She's dehydrated," she said, leaning back onto her thighs. "And probably fatigued judging by the bags under her eyes. It's warm today; do you know how much she had to drink?"

"Umm…" No, she didn't actually. She remembered filling up their canteens but they weren't full, though she had more than Lara.

An idea occurred to her and she quickly dug through Lara's bag and took out her water bottle. She shook it and heard that it was empty.

"She drank all her water," Sam told the woman. She quickly took out her own bottle and lifted Lara's head, pouring some water down her throat. There wasn't much left though, and within a few seconds it was gone. "I don't have anymore," she said, feeling despair wash over her. "Do you guys have any?"

The woman shared a look with the man and Sam knew they were having a silent conversation. "Please," Sam interjected. These two had food and water, that was clear. "Help her. I can't let her die."

"Maybe we should, Em," the man said. His arms were crossed and he was watching them carefully.

The woman - Em - turned back to her. "We can't spare what we have," she said. "I'm sorry."

"What if we trade?" Sam hurriedly said. "I…we have another gun, with a few bullets. If you help her I'll give it to you."

Em pursed her lips as she considered the offer. Sam waited for Em's answer, biting her lip nervously as Lara's head rested in her lap. She couldn't let Lara die like this. Not after everything that had happened, not after how they had left things between them.

"Fine," Em said. She looked to the man. "Could you carry her to that camper van we came across before, Jake?"

Jake nodded and strode over to them, picking Lara up with ease. Em and Sam followed them, Sam chewing on the inside of her cheek all the way.

How didn't she notice how sick Lara was before?

Em opened the back of a white campervan and collapsed the sofa's inside into a large bed. Jake gently placed Lara down on the mattress and then hopped out. Sam saw that there was a large water cooler bottle half-filled with water on the far side next to a drawer, and a small stack of different packet foods next to it.

Her stomach grumbled at the sight. "I thought you said you didn't have many supplies," she said.

Em hopped into the van next to Lara and began pouring water into a cup. "I never said that," she said. "I said we couldn't spare what we had."

"There's a lot here. You could have spared some of it."

"You two are strangers. We can't just give stuff away for free." She opened up a tub full of sports drink powder and mixed it in with the water.

Sam looked down at her feet. Em was right, and she couldn't exactly antagonise the people who were helping them. "I'm Sam," she said, looking up at Jake and Em. She had forgotten to introduce herself in all the panic. "That's Lara."

Em glanced at her briefly. "Emma," she said. "That's my brother, Jake."

Jake's gaze shifted to her in acknowledgement. His eyes were intense, just like how Lara's could be.

"You two should go look for more things," Emma said, soaking a tea towel and placing it on Lara's forehead.

"But I want to be here when she wakes," Sam protested. She couldn't leave Lara alone after she fainted.

"She needs to rest," Emma said. "I'll be here, keeping an eye on her and helping her get back up to speed. You'll be more useful searching the rest of the cars."

"There's really no use arguing," Jake said. Sam turned around to him and he shrugged. "She's stubborn, that one."

Emma snorted. "You're one to talk."

Sam looked at Lara again. She looked really skinny now that her jacket was off, and almost half dead with those bags under her eyes. She didn't want to leave her, but if she could find more food then fine. "Come get me when she's awake okay?" she said.

Emma nodded. She picked up a protein bar from the pile next to her and threw it at her. Sam flinched as her reflexes were too slow to catch it and quickly scooped it up off the floor. "Eat that," Emma said. "You look like you're about to fall as well."

Sam didn't need to be told twice. "Thanks," she said, opening the bar.

"Come on," Jake said, unfolding his arms. "We were up to here." He started leading them further down the road as Sam mashed the bar into her mouth. It was delicious, and any new bit of food was welcome.

"I'll take this side of the motorway," Jake said. "You can search on that side. If you find anything useful just leave it on the hood of this car and we can bring it back to the campervan later. Be careful of biters."

Sam swallowed the bar and looked at the cars around them. "Have you been searching all the cars along this highway?" she asked Jake.

"Most of them," he answered, looking inside a car. "We find that vehicles usually have more supplies than houses."

"So you're the reason why we couldn't find anything useful," she realised. They had been so unlucky with their scavenge of the cars because someone beat them to it.

Jake looked slightly apologetic. "Sorry."

Sam shrugged and opened the door to one of the cars. "It's okay. You're helping us now and I'm so grateful. You don't often run into good people anymore." She found a box of mints and began crunching them down. It wasn't the best meal, but she could use the extra calories.

"So where are you headed to?" Jake asked.

"Cardiff. We heard that there was a safe place there."

"You're headed to Cardiff?"

There was a half empty bottle of water in a side pocket which Sam took to drink. There wasn't anything else in the car though, so she closed the door and went to search in the next one. "Yeah, why?"

She could hear Jake chuckle. "We're headed there too actually. We heard that they're on the water, and that they have boats, and a supply of fish from the ocean."

"Man that sounds amazing." The thought of having fresh food again and having something more substantial than chips was a dream come true. There was a bag of lollies in this car which she put on the hood.

"Yeah," Jake agreed as he put a box of chocolate on the hood of the car. "It's been a hard road."

Sam paused in her search of the car. _Tell me about it,_ she wanted to say.

She was suddenly very tired. Sam sat down in the back of the car and laid down, sighing. This past week had been hell. She and Lara had gotten into a fight and Lara had almost died today.

That panic that she had felt when she collapsed - even though she was mad at her she still loved her.

 _Not loved,_ she caught herself. Cared - just cared for her.

Last night, she had heard Lara sneak out of the petrol station. At first Sam just thought she was going to piss but when she didn't return after ten minutes, she started to worry. Lara wouldn't leave her right?

They'd been fighting all week though, and her patience ran thin. She thought Lara loved her though, so why would she leave her?

Sam sat up, watching the door for minutes, thinking the worst. Lara had left her. She had grown tired of her and had finally left. Sam saw it coming, but it hurt a lot when it finally happened. She thought Lara loved her.

And then the door opened and Lara came back, soaking wet. She had no idea where she had gone and she blatantly lied when she asked her about it. She was relieved she came back yet she didn't know why she left in the first place.

Sam didn't want to fight, or be mad at her anymore. It was too draining. Lara's words echoed back to her from the first time they had made love.

 _Life is short. I don't want to leave this world with any regrets._

Lara was right, and Sam wanted to forget about everything and just _be_ with her girlfriend again. But…could she forget it?

What if the Lara she liked was just some construction of her mind? What if she was ignoring the bad side of Lara just because she wanted to be with the good? It still unsettled her that Lara was willing to rob someone, and although it wasn't as bad as killing, how long would it take before it came to that?

"Sam." Sam shot up in her seat and saw Jake in front of her. "I thought you'd fainted."

Sam rubbed her eyes. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"You alright?" he asked, leaning against the car.

She sighed and shook her head. "Would you steal from someone?" she asked him. He raised an eyebrow. "Say that you were starving and there was a can of beans. But the person was right there…would you steal from them?"

Jake frowned and rubbed his stubbled chin. "I don't think I'd be able to do it," he said. "I know I should, to survive. But to do something like that to someone…" he winced. "I'm not sure I could.

"Though...if it was for Em," he continued. "Then yeah, I'd probably do it. I wouldn't like it but I would still do it."

"You would?" Sam asked.

"It's different when it's for someone else." He studied her curiously. "Why do you ask? Are you planning on stealing from us?"

"What? No. I just…I think I made a big mistake," she said, staring at the ground. God, maybe she was being an idiot, staying angry at Lara for so long for such a stupid reason.

"Lara stole from someone," she explained. "We were starving at the time but I just…got so mad at her. I thought I knew her but then she went ahead and did that. There was a group we were with before, and some people did the same thing except they killed people for their things. It's just…it's not right…and I think we killed the two guys we stole from."

"You guys were starving at the time?" Jake asked.

"Yeah but…Even though I was, I don't know why I couldn't do it in that moment. I couldn't take food from them even though I might have died. But Lara did."

"You're a lot more empathetic than most people."

"Or maybe I'm just weak. I don't have the guts to survive. And when Lara does it for me I just scold her for it." She rubbed her face. Lara was strong, whilst Sam was weak. She had been so afraid that she would leave her, because Sam knew she was a burden. That she would eventually be left behind one day.

"I was mad at her for this whole week, and it wasn't even her fault. It probably added to her stress and made her faint."

Lara loved her - that was clear. Yet Sam was pushing her away because she didn't want to get hurt and she had just used this as an excuse.

She made herself believe that she didn't know Lara. She convinced herself that Lara was a monster, ignoring all the good in her heart. She had blown this out of proportion, and Lara could have almost died because of it.

"I'm such an idiot," she muttered, burying her face in her hands. She needed to apologise, and hope that Lara didn't hate her for what she did.

Jake watched her quietly. "You should talk to her," he suggested. "If she cares about you as much as it sounds like she does, then I'm sure she'll understand."

"Maybe." She would talk to her once she woke up, though she had no idea what to say.

She took a deep breath and looked up at Jake. "Thanks," she said. "I know we just met and it's weird for me to dump all of this on you but…it's good to talk to someone else."

Jake gave a small smile and a short nod. "It's okay," he said. "Do you want to continue searching?"

As if Jake would allow her to slack off. "Is there a point saying 'no'?" Sam half-heartedly joked.

"If you want to go see Lara you can go," Jake said. "I'll continue searching these cars."

Sam didn't expect him to sound so sincere. She stood up. "No, it's okay," she said. "I can't let you find all the good stuff." She could use some time to plan out how she was going to apologise anyways, and what she would say if Lara got angry or yelled at her.

* * *

The cars held a treasure-trove of useful items, even though most of the food came in the form of chips, chocolate and biscuits. They even found someone's groceries which had amazingly not been touched.

After they got past the rotting vegetables and meat, they found some cans of vegetables, pasta, biscuits, soft drink, toothpaste, toilet paper - which was a blessing in this environment - and some facial cleansers which Sam used to clean herself.

Sam gorged herself on a can and some junk food, too hungry to wait to bring back the food. Jake watched her with mild amusement as she practically finished the can in a minute.

"That was amazing," she said, placing the can on the ground. "I haven't felt this full in a long time."

Jake smiled and started putting what he could into his bag so it was easier to carry. "We did good," he conceded. "I think we should bring this back before we continue searching the rest."

"That sounds like a good idea." They had already been searching for about an hour and had found quite a bit. She began loading what remained into her bag to begin carrying it back.

Jake was good company. He was nice, sweet, and easy to talk to. Even though he was quiet, it was refreshing to talk to someone new who wasn't trying to kill them.

They had just finished shoving the items into their bags and picking up what they couldn't fit in when Emma came up to them. "I see you guys did well," she said. "What'd you find?"

"How's Lara?" Sam asked immediately. Why was she away? "She's fine, right?"

"She's resting," Emma said, turning to her. "I gave her some more water, and food, but what she needs most is rest. I think we'll stay around - I want to check on her later. I left her in the campervan if you want to go see her."

"Yes, okay, thank you!" Sam started heading back when Emma cleared her throat. She turned around.

"I think you owe us something," she said, holding out her hand.

Sam looked at her skeptically before putting down her bag and looking through it. She found the gun but emptied it before putting it on the ground in front of her.

"Half payment, for half a job done," Sam said. She felt a little bad for screwing them out of the deal, but they were the only ones who could really help Lara. "I'll give you the bullets when she wakes up."

"You think we're going to leave you?" Emma asked, picking the gun off the ground. "I said I wanted to check on her."

"You'll get your bullets, I promise," Sam said, "I just can't take that chance."

Emma looked annoyed but she sighed. "Fine, whatever. Go see your girlfriend." She waved her away.

Sam walked back to the campervan and opened the door. Emma had left a bottle of sports drink on the floor along with another bottle and few snacks they had found before. The cooler of water was still here, yet she understood why Emma would want to keep some of the food they found.

Sam slid past the small drawer near the door and then crawled onto the bed next to Lara. She was sleeping on her side peacefully, her head rested on a pillow. Her lips were still cracked, but she looked much better…less stressed.

The feelings of guilt swamped her again and she closed her eyes. Out of all the ways Lara would go out…Sam didn't think this would be one of them; fighting with her girlfriend and then stressing herself to death.

She wanted to apologise now, to have this sorted out so they could get back to the way things were, but she wasn't going to wake her up.

Sam put her bag on the floor quietly and then curled up next to her. She stared at the back of her head for a moment then closed her eyes, thinking to take a quick nap.

* * *

Sam opened her eyes slowly, roused by the sound of rain on the roof. She sat up and pulled the curtains aside, watching the droplets of water splash against the window. It was night.

She had slept for longer than she intended. She touched the window with her fingertips and the glass was cool against her skin. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled off in the distance.

She was glad to be inside, and she hoped Jake and Emma had found another car to hunker down in. This seemed to be a storm and it would be unwise to be caught outside now.

There was however, a few bowls in here and they could probably use it to catch some water. They had found quite a bit of water today but it didn't hurt to have more, especially because Lara was dehydrated.

Sam took the bowls and opened the door slightly. She didn't want to get the interior wet so she stuck half her body out and placed them quickly on the floor. Rain splashed against the asphalt, pooling in puddles in some places. Sam hurriedly dropped the dishes and then closed the door again, brushing her hair out of her face.

When she turned back Lara was stirring, her eyes opening slowly. Sam's heart leapt into her throat and she moved back to the bed, sitting down. "Hey," she said.

Lara looked up at the sound and stared at her, her eyes focussing in the dim light. "H-hey," she croaked.

Sam picked the bottle of sports drink off the floor and handed it to her. "Here," she said. "Drink up."

Lara took the bottle and drank from it. Now that Lara was actually awake, Sam had forgotten what she wanted to say. She rummaged through Lara's bag, looking for the lantern as she thought of a way to break the awkwardness.

"Is it raining outside?" Lara asked. Her voice was much clearer now.

"Umm…yeah," Sam said. "I think it's storming actually." She found the lantern and turned it on. The campervan lit up with white light and she placed it on the table opposite them.

"Are you hungry?" Sam asked, glancing back at Lara briefly. "We found some food today."

Lara sat up on the bed and nodded. "That would be nice," she said.

Sam opened one of the cans of pasta she had found from her bag and opened it with her knife. As she handed it to Lara, their fingers brushed.

Sam withdrew her hand quickly and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry it's cold," she said, looking away.

"It's okay," Lara said, already eating. "I don't really care to be honest."

Sam watched her eat for a moment as she tried to think of a way to articulate her messy thoughts. "You umm…you scared me today," she began. Lara looked at her. "I mean, death is everywhere these days but…I just…didn't think you'd go down like that."

Lara poked at her pasta. "You were worried about me?"

That was like a slap in her face. Sam looked away at the rain, unable to meet her eyes. Even though she was sure Lara wasn't deliberately trying to make her feel bad, it still hurt. It wasn't like she didn't deserve it though.

She looked back up at Lara. "Of course I was," she whispered. "You're my girlfriend."

She looked away and took a breath as she felt tears in her eyes. "But I haven't been a very good one lately. Or even a good friend."

Lara looked down at her food, chewing slowly.

Sam took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for how I've been treating you this week. I'm sorry for what I said - it wasn't fair. I was just…I don't know. I didn't like what you did, but you were just trying to help us. I didn't have the guts to do it and for some stupid reason, I hated you for it."

"I might have not handled the situation well," Lara admitted, looking down at her pasta. "I probably came off as quite callous, but I really didn't want to do it. You know that right?"

Sam looked up. "I know. Whatever you do, you always do it to protect your friends. You're stronger than me, and that's why you'd continue living even when I'm gone." She swallowed. She didn't tell Lara that she thought she would eventually leave her for the same reason.

"I wouldn't want to live without you, though."

Sam stared at her. Lara held her eyes, completely serious.

Sam didn't deserve this. She turned away before she cried, biting her lower lip. "It's funny," she said, trying to distract herself. "Before all this, if someone said that they would do anything for me it'll be the most romantic thing they could say. But when you actually do it, I hate you for it." She chuckled nervously. "Romantic right?"

Lara scrapped at the bottom of the tin, the fork scraping against metal. "We often don't know what we'd do until we're in the situation," she said. "It's okay."

Sam chewed on her lower lip, looking back at Lara. "Can you forgive me?" she asked.

Lara looked up to meet her eyes again. "I would do anything for you Sam," she said. A smile cracked her face. "I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore."

Sam smiled back, relief washing through her. "I never should have been in the first place."

Lara handed her the empty can and Sam put it on the floor out of the way. She was relieved, and so glad that things were okay between them. After what a bitch she had been, she wouldn't have been surprised if Lara didn't want to be with her anymore but she should have known she wasn't like that.

When she turned back around, Lara reached forward and took her hand. Sam smiled and climbed onto the bed next to her, resting her head on her shoulder and slipping their fingers together.

"I know it was wrong Sam," Lara said quietly, her chest rising up and down slowly. "I know that I do a lot of…bad things sometimes. But… I don't feel like such a bad person when I'm with you."

Sam looked up at her and into her soft, gentle eyes. This was the Lara she knew. This was the Lara she loved - faults and all.

Sam stroked her cheek gently, leaning forward and letting their lips meet. God she missed this, she thought. She missed how sweet she tasted, how sweet she _was._ These small moments were so precious in this world.

Lara broke away, breathing heavily and resting her forehead against hers. "I love you," she whispered, stroking her cheek. Sam felt her heart skip a beat when she said that. "Gods, I love you so much."

Sam stared into her brown eyes. _I love you too._ The words were on her lips, but they wouldn't leave her tongue. She was so afraid, but she didn't understand why because Lara had said the words first.

Instead, she put a hand over the one on her cheek. "Show me," she whispered.

Lara kissed her again and slowly pushed her back onto the mattress. Sam wrapped a leg around her waist and pulled her down, pressing their bodies closer together.

It was different this time… more intense, more primal, more desperate.

Lara touched her-worshipped her, made her forget that anything else mattered except right now, being here with her. At one point a tear rolled down Lara's cheek and Sam kissed it away, tasting salt on her lips.

Everything that was unsaid was shared through their passion, an intensity and feeling Sam hadn't ever felt before. She cried out in ecstasy, arching up into her as Lara pushed her to the edge, and then held her tightly as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

"I love you, Sam," she whispered, nuzzling her neck.

Sam quickly blinked away the tears in her eyes as her chest swelled with guilt. She knew it hurt every time she didn't answer, but she just couldn't say it.

Why couldn't she say it?

Sam rolled over so they were face to face and then pushed herself up, leaning down close to her ear. "I want to show you what you mean to me," she whispered. She pushed her onto her back, then began to kiss down her neck, down her body, and then further south.

She wanted Lara to know that she was hers, no matter what.


	31. Gone

Thanks for all the reviews! They are greatly appreciated. And thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing this.

* * *

It was only meant to be a temporary alliance, however they ended up staying with Emma and Jake all the way to Cardiff. They were headed for the new settlement as well, and they seemed to be able to handle themselves. They were decent company, though Lara was still sceptical about them.

Emma seemed to share her reserve, and Lara didn't blame her for that. She was extremely grateful for her helping her get back onto her feet.

Lara had attacked her when she had first woken up in the campervan as she was unsure of where she was. Emma had taken it surprisingly well, and after that they had a nice chat about what happened. Lara found herself getting along well with the nurse, as she could respect her pragmatism and bluntness.

Her brother however… she got on with less.

Jake was quiet, but he had an intense look about him which she didn't like. He held a gun to her when they first met, and even though Lara had held a gun to them as well, she trusted him less than his sister.

Jake and Sam became friends pretty quickly though. Her girlfriend seemed to bring out the chatty side in him, yet as soon as anyone else spoke he quieted down. Lara conveyed her distrust of the man to Sam but she just shrugged.

"Jake's not so bad," she said. She was searching the lounge room whilst Emma and Jake were looking for clean clothes upstairs. "I know why you don't trust him but give him a chance. He reminds me of you actually - I think you'd get along."

Lara bristled and folded her arms. "I don't think we're anything alike," she said.

Sam glanced back at her. "I don't know. I think you have a lot in common. You're both smart, stubborn..." she grinned, "cute."

Lara frowned and looked away. "He's not _that_ cute," she said. Alex had been cuter than him.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Well, not as cute as you of course." She reached over and pinched her cheek.

Lara swatted her hand away which earned a laugh from Sam. "God, you're funny when you're jealous."

Lara looked flatly at her, arms crossed. "I'm not jealous."

Sam threw her arms around her shoulders. "Of course not," Sam said, smiling. Her fingers played with the back of her neck. "But you really don't need to worry, Lara; Jake and I are just friends. And besides, I'm all yours."

She kissed her then, and Lara felt her resolve melt instantly. How could she be worried about her relationship with Jake? They were good - the past week had been amazing and things had almost gone back to when they first got together. She was just being stupid.

She unfolded her arms and wrapped them around Sam's waist, pulling them closer together.

"Are you two going to have sex now?" A voice interrupted. Lara jerked backwards and looked behind her to see Emma strolling towards the front door casually. "Cause we need to get going."

Lara ducked her head as her cheeks caught fire. God, how could Emma be so crude about these things?

"It depends," Sam said, her arms still around her neck. "Could you guys wait for an hour?"

Emma scoffed. "Like you could last _that_ long."

"Challenge accepted!"

Lara glanced up at her grinning girlfriend. "No," she said firmly. "No. That's not happening." Sam pouted at her but pushed Sam's arms off her shoulders and ignored it. "We can go now, Em."

They didn't struggle for food for now, but Lara was still not at her full strength after she fainted. Emma and especially Sam made sure she had enough but there was only so much they could spare, as they still needed to ration. The cars on the M4 had provided them with enough to last them the week it took to get through Newport, and then to Cardiff.

They were at the edge of Cardiff where they were searching a large motel. Hopefully there would be some supplies there, or at least a change of clothes and socks. Water was too useful to waste on washing clothes and she often required three layers of socks to cushion her feet from so much walking.

There was only one biter wandering around but there were quite a few bodies scattered throughout. They had probably been killed a while ago, so they went ahead and began to search the rooms.

They wanted to move onto Cardiff quickly so Emma and Jake were searching one side, whilst Lara and Sam were searching the other. Some of the rooms were empty, but they found some open suitcases in the other rooms.

They found a tube of toothpaste in a room and Lara used it to brush her teeth. Water was precious, but so was maintaining good dental hygiene. There were no dentists around anymore if your teeth started rotting.

"Hey, this looks nice," Sam said from the bedroom. "Why don't you try this on?"

Lara peeked out from the bathroom and saw the black, long-sleeved button up Sam was holding. She raised an eyebrow. "Black?" she asked through a mouthful of toothpaste. She returned to the sink and spit it out. She could only spare a small mouthful of water.

"What's wrong with black?" Sam asked. "I think you'd look nice in dark colours."

"It's getting hot," he said, walking back into the room. "That's black and long sleeved. I'll be sweating so much."

"Oh right." Sam tossed the shirt onto the bed and picked up a simple blue t-shirt. "How about this?"

"That will work." She unbuttoned her old shirt, which was stained with sweat, blood and dirt. It has been a few days since it rained and when she could clean herself properly. She missed having a proper shower back at the resort.

"It's a shame," Sam said, picking through the rest of the clothes. "I think you would have looked nice in it."

"Fashion isn't a top priority these days," Lara said, putting the shirt on. She put her leather jacket on afterwards, even though it was warm.

Sam picked up a silver dress and walked past her to the mirror on the wall, holding it over herself. "I know, but there's still no shame in wanting to look good." Her tone sounded slightly wistful.

Lara looked at Sam appraising herself in the mirror. "You always look good, Sam."

Sam met her eyes in the mirror and smiled. "Thanks for saying that but you know it's not true."

Lara walked up to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You do," she said, pecking her on the cheek. "At least to me."

Sam hugged her arms and turned her face towards hers. "You're so sweet."

They stayed like that for a while longer, simply enjoying the small moment. After she had almost lost Sam, she wouldn't take things like this for granted anymore.

"Come on," Lara said, untangling herself from Sam. "Let's continue searching this place."

The next few rooms yielded nothing as they looked unoccupied. The next room had its door open, and there were clothes strewn all over the floor. Couldn't people have the courtesy to at least not make a mess wherever they went?

Lara carefully stepped around the clothes on the floor, looking for anything which could be of use. She had just gone around to the other side of the room when she heard steps to her right.

Her head snapped up and she ducked just in time to avoid a crowbar to the head. Instead the man missed and cracked the window in front of her.

Lara tried to draw her gun but the man charged at her and smashed her against the window before she could do it. He smashed her head back, rattling her skull, and he grabbed her face and tried to do it again. Lara grabbed his hand and struggled to pry it off her face but she didn't have enough strength to do so.

"Get Sam!" the guy yelled. Lara risked a jab at the guy's neck and was rewarded with a gag. His grip loosened and she threw his arm off her, then kicked him back.

Lara gritted her teeth as she was momentarily surprised when she recognised the man. Arthur…was it? She had never spoken to him but he had been back at the resort with them.

Had Mathias extended his scavenging group down here? Or had he not given up on his search for them?

Lara's surprise was enough of a distraction that Arthur managed to charge her again and knock the air out of her lungs. She heard the window crack behind her and without her full strength, they ended up in the same position again.

Lara tried going for the same trick as before but this time Arthur caught her arm and then punched her as her defences were open. The blow sent stars spiralling across her vision and she felt Arthur grip her collar.

"I got her!" someone else yelled.

She pawed at his face futilely as she felt him pull her forward…then shove her back with huge strength. Lara heard the window shatter before she felt herself tumble out of it, weightlessness overtaking her body for a moment before she hit the ground and blacked out.

* * *

"Lara? Lara?" A bright light was shone into her eye.

Lara stirred and instantly felt sore all over her body. She grimaced and rolled onto her side, trying to get away from the light searing her retinas.

"Oh thank god you're alive," Emma said. "Do you know where you are?"

Lara tried to sit up but Emma pushed her back down. "Hey don't strain yourself. You're bleeding everywhere."

Lara looked down at herself and did indeed see her hands coated in a layer of blood. It hurt to move her palm and she had a feeling she had glass embedded in it. "What happened?" she asked, laying her head back down and looking at the siblings in front of her.

"I was hoping you could tell us that," Emma said. She rummaged around in her backpack.

"We heard a crash," Jake said. "Then this guy pulled up to the motel with a car. We saw someone carry…Sam away in it. She looked like she was unconscious."

Panic and anger flared in her chest, along with more pain. "Why didn't you stop them?" Lara growled. She tried to sit up again and this time Emma didn't stop her.

"Because we also heard them say that you were dead," Emma said. She took out a cloth started cleaning her cuts. "Stay still. You have glass in your skin that we need to remove."

The last thing Lara remembered was falling. She tried to look behind her but Emma pulled her head back.

"Don't move," she growled. "You have a large piece of glass embedded near your clavicle."

"We found you covered in boxes, unmoving," Jake explained. "They managed to cushion your fall slightly. I think you could have died from falling that height otherwise."

Lara didn't really care about what happened to her at the moment. "Where did they take Sam?" she asked.

"We saw them drive off down the road. But what happened?"

Down the road? Where could they have possibly gone?

"Lara, what happened?" Emma asked.

She snapped out of her thoughts for a moment. "We were ambushed," she explained. "There were these two guys in a motel room, and they ambushed us. One of them- Arthur- tried to kill me and threw me out the window…"

She remembered the final thing she heard them say- 'I got her!'. Had they been trying to capture Sam from the beginning? Did they know we would be here, and set up an ambush for us?

But then why would Arthur want to capture Sam? Why not just kill her?

A theory occurred to her.

"Shit," Lara said.

"What?" Jake asked.

Arthur had been loyal to Mathias. There was a possibility that Arthur had just been acting on his own accord, but if he wasn't that meant there was only one reason Mathias could be interested in Sam.

"What, Lara?" Jake asked again.

Lara wanted to throw up. She wasn't sure if it was from the fall, or from thinking about what Mathias would do to Sam, but she just managed to stop herself.

"Umm…" she watched Emma blankly as she began picking the glass out of her skin. "Arthur, he was part of a group we were with before. One of them- Mathias- he staged a coup on the camp and killed anyone who was loyal to the past leader." The memory was bitter in her mouth. "Me and a few others managed to escape. I'm not sure what he's doing here but…maybe he wants to capture and torture us."

She didn't want to tell the siblings that Sam was immune. They were unlikely to believe her, and they may not help her.

"That's fucked up," Jake said. "How can we help?"

"I need to rescue her," Lara said. She looked at Emma who was still removing glass from her hand. It hurt less though.

"I don't think you're in any condition to go after her," Emma said. "You haven't eaten much and now you have cuts everywhere. Plus, you don't know where they are."

"I don't care. I'll find her."

"How exactly?"

Lara hesitated. The fall had given her a headache and the pain was clouding her thoughts. She had no idea how to start looking for Sam or Mathias - if he were in the city at all. "I…I don't know," she admitted. "Did the men say anything? Maybe there are some clues in the motel room?"

"I'll go check," Jake said, standing up. "You need to rest." He walked off.

Emma gave Lara a look. "We'll help you get better," she said. "But this sounds too dangerous. You're on your own after this."

"I need your help, Emma," Lara begged. She winced as her cuts were disinfected. "I can't do this without you guys."

"How many people are you up against exactly?"

Lara strained to think. Had Mathias killed everyone when he had taken over the resort? If he hadn't, then she was outnumbered. "I'm not sure," Lara said. "Maybe…about fifteen?"

Emma's brow furrowed as she started bandaging her hand.

"I just need to know where they've taken Sam," Lara said. "Just help me do that. If we do find their camp you don't need to help me rescue her from them."

Emma finished bandaging her hand and then looked at her other hand. "Your jacket saved you from a lot of damage," she observed nonchalantly.

"I love her," Lara begged "I can't let her die. Please, just help me find her."


	32. Natural Selection

Thanks for the reviews and thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

"Get up."

Sam winced as sunlight pierced her eyes. She felt someone grab her by her collar and then haul her out of the boot of a car. Her head pounded for some reason and she felt slightly dizzy.

"Come on, stand up."

Sam opened her eyes and looked around. She looked like she was in a parking lot, and there were buildings in the near distance. There was a map near them on a sign and Sam saw that it was of a university.

She stumbled as she was pushed forward. "This way," the man said.

Sam glanced back at him and recognised the man as Arthur, a guy from back at the resort. She hadn't spoken to him much, and he was quite guarded when she did, and she remembered that he was quite chummy with Mathias.

Was Mathias still pursuing them? Why would he be stupid enough to do that? Why were they even here anyways? Weren't Mathias and the others back at the resort? She wanted to ask Arthur what the fuck he was doing here but her mouth was gagged.

The motel room had caught her off guard. She had been looking for socks in the mess of clothes when she heard the smash of a crowbar against the window. By then it was too late to pull out her gun, as a short but stocky man kicked her in her knees and had her in a chokehold.

She was ashamed of herself. All those lessons with Lara and she had been incapacitated so quickly. Sam had heard the crash of the window splintering before she lost consciousness. She didn't know what happened, but she had the horrid feeling that Lara might be seriously injured from a fall that high.

"What do you think we'll get for this?" another man asked. He jogged up next to Arthur as he led them through the buildings. Sam recognised him as the bastard who had incapacitated her.

"Dunno," Arthur said. "A week's supply of pork and beans maybe? I know Dmitri and the others found some in their last run."

Dmitri. Shit. So the others _were_ here. Did everyone else from the resort come? Why would Mathias move from such a safe place anyways?

"That would be great. Been a while since we've had a proper meal. Shame we couldn't have dessert though." He touched her shoulder and Sam recoiled instantly. Fuck, this was bad. What were they going to do to her?

"Hey," Arthur said. "Cut it out The boss wants her unharmed."

The news only abated her fear ever so slightly. Although she wasn't at risk of rape from his lackeys, why did Mathias want her unharmed? To torture her for managing to escape? Or was it…

She stopped walking as the other option occurred to her. No. He couldn't know she was immune. The only way he could find out was if Will told him and Will had no reason to tell him. Right?

"Keep walking!" Arthur barked. He shoved her forward and Sam just managed to not trip.

Arthur and his friend led her along through the buildings and paths. The grass lawns were overgrown and tall, and vines and weeds were beginning to crawl along the walls. The buildings themselves were dirty; the glass stained with mud and dust. She saw men milling about outside the buildings, some smiling at her as they watched her pass. There were a lot of men around, and Sam couldn't see how she could sneak through all of them.

Eventually they arrived at a building with the words 'Dawn-Wilson Building' on a sign, and in smaller font 'School of Biomedicine' underneath. Mathias stood in his grey hoodie on the steps, next to a wiry man in a white labcoat with a tote bag in his hands. Dmitri and another man Sam didn't recognise flanked them.

Sam felt anger rise in her chest as she saw Mathias, but the thin man's stare was extremely unnerving. He looked at her as if she were a specimen, ready to be dissected and splayed out on the table.

"Samantha," Mathias said, a false smile on his face. "So good to see you again."

Sam spat a mouthful of curses at him through the gag.

Mathias motioned to the two men behind her and they removed her gag. They didn't remove her bindings though. "What the fuck do you want, Mathias?" she growled.

"We've been looking for you for a while, Samantha," he said. "You've been quite a pain to find."

Sam was about to tell him to go fuck himself when he said, "Was there anyone else with her?" he asked the men behind her.

"There was this girl," Robert said.

"Lara," Arthur said. "They were searching the motel together. She's dead though. I threw her out of a window."

Sam's heart leapt into her throat. Lara couldn't be dead, she thought. She had to have found some way to survive.

Mathias frowned at them. "'She's dead?' Are you sure?"

"Well… she wasn't moving when I checked…" Arthur said uncertainly.

"So you didn't actually shoot her?" Mathias asked.

"Well…no…"

Her heart dropped back into its normal cavity. So there could be a chance she was alive. If they didn't see Emma and Jake either then they could help her.

Mathias growled. "Then go back and make sure she's dead. You will not get the reward otherwise."

Arthur and Robert squirmed behind her. "'Kay boss," Robert said.

Mathias calmed down and he turned to Dmitri."Dmitri. I think it's time we showed our guest what we've been doing."

Sam took a step back as Dmitri approached her but he yanked her forward and then caught her, pulling her up against his body. "Good to see you again, _suka_ ," he whispered. He shoved her forward after Mathias and the wiry man.

Mathias led them into a large atrium. Stairs led upwards to the left whilst Sam could see another entrance to a hallway to their right. They headed up the stairs and onto a second floor where they then headed down the hallway to their left.

There were large glass windows here and Sam could see that this floor held many laboratories. A few people in white labcoats were playing around with serums in test tubes and beakers. Sam could see a rotting brain that one person was experimenting on and she could see another person inject something into a squirming rat.

"This is Doctor Stevens," Mathias said in front of them. He gestured to the man walking next to him. "He is our gracious host who has allowed us to stay on his grounds in exchange for helping him with his research."

A chill ran down her spine and she was afraid of the answer to her next question. "What research?" she asked.

"On the virus of course. We're looking for a cure."

Sam tried her best to keep a blank face. Her worst fears had been confirmed, and right now, she thought she would prefer being killed.

They arrived at a door and Mathias pushed her inside. It was small, and it looked like it used to be a tutorial room, however all the desks and chairs had been removed. Dmitri shoved her and she fell onto her knees.

Sam stood up and turned around, trying to feign ignorance. "There is no cure," she said. "You guys are crazy for thinking there is one."

"A little bird told us you were immune to the virus, Sam," Mathias said. They were all blocking the doorway. "Was that a lie?"

Sam did her best to swallow the bile in her throat and scoff. "Yes. If I was bit do you think I would still be here?"

Mathias cocked his head. "Dmitri, Marvin, restrain her," he said.

Sam tried to back away as the two men approached her but they caught her arms and then forced her to the ground. Sam struggled uselessly. She felt them cut her bindings but didn't have the opportunity to attack before Dmitri pulled one arm forward whilst Marvin held the rest of her body down.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

Above her, Stevens held open the tote bag. Mathias took out a biter _head_ from it and walked towards her. The head snapped at Mathias, but he held it by the hair so it couldn't get him.

He knelt down in front of her, the head still snapping and groaning at all the new flesh around it.

"A shame you're not immune," Mathias said. He held the biter head down near her arm and Sam cried out in pain as it bit her.

The groaning was silenced almost immediately and she looked up to see that Mathias had stabbed it with a knife. It was still too late though - she was already bit - and she could see the blood spilling over onto the carpet.

"Let's go," Mathias said, standing up again. Dmitri and Marvin left her on the floor and Sam gritted her teeth and she watched them walk out of the room. The door closed with a click.

Sam looked around the room but didn't see anything she could wrap her bite up with. She settled on tearing a strip of cloth from her shirt and wrapping up her blood soaked arm. This wouldn't do much, but it was better than nothing.

The bite had been shallow and Sam knew it had meant to infect her rather than tear her flesh out. Still, this wasn't good. She wasn't going to die from the bite but now Mathias and creepy Stevens were going to know she was immune.

She stood up and looked around the room for an exit, or any means of escape. There was a window which led to the side of the building, but there was no way to break it. All furniture had been removed and the door was stubbornly locked.

Her head started to spin and she braced herself against a wall. Her stomach churned and she sat down as her skin flushed hot.

The feeling was horrible. It was just as bad as the first time as she shifted between hot and cold. Her head spun and pitched violently and her energy was sapped as her body tried to fight off the infection. Her shirt clung to her sweaty back and the skin around the bite burned like hot iron had been pressed to it.

Sam stayed in a horrid state of semi-consciousness for what felt like forever. Eventually the throbs of sickness receded and she fell asleep, exhausted from her fight. She slept for a while but eventually stirred as she heard a scratch.

Sam was facing the door and she saw a face peering at her through the window. She didn't have time to call out before they left and very quickly the blanket of fatigue covered her again.

The next time she woke up was to a loud click and the sound of a door opening. Sam opened her eyes and saw Mathias and Stevens walk in. Dmitri and Marvin stood at the door behind them.

Sam pushed herself into a sitting position and scooted backwards as they approached.

"Samantha?" Mathias asked, pausing a few feet from her. "Can you hear me?"

"I wish I couldn't," she snapped, holding her bitten arm. She still felt tired, and her crude bandage was soaked with blood but she didn't think it was bleeding anymore.

Mathias knelt down in front of her. "Remarkable," he said, grabbing her chin. Sam tried to pull away but he pulled her head left and right, inspecting her. "There is barely any sign of a change."

Sam tried to bite his fingers but he pulled them back quickly. A flash of anger passed his face but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"You are completely unchanged," Stevens observed. "We've finally found another one. We probably should be more careful this time lest we want to lose her."

Mathias turned to the men behind him. "Dmitri," he said. "Find someone to bring some food to our guest as well as my first aid kit." He turned back to Sam. "How long have you known about this?"

Sam didn't say anything - just glared daggers at him.

"Come now, Sam," Mathias said. "We don't have to be enemies."

"You just had a biter bite me," she spat. "Do you think I'd be helping you?"

"I'm very sorry about that," he said. "But it was necessary. William said that you were immune, but we just had to be sure."

Fucking bastard. So Will had told on her. "Will told you?"

"Oh yes, he was more than willing once he discovered our true cause. I didn't believe him at first of course but he convinced me, and we've be trying to find you ever since.

"We're trying to do good work here," Mathias continued. "We're trying to find a cure. Stevens has been researching the virus for over a year now."

"Oh yes, yes," Stevens said. He licked his lips. "We've been studying the virus, and have managed to isolate it. There was one other person who appeared resistant to the virus however he couldn't survive our rigorous experimentation. He wasn't completely immune though, which was-"

Mathias held up a hand. "Yes let's not bore her with the details, Doctor," he said. "The point , Sam, is that you possess the key to finding the cure. Think about it. If someone is bit they wouldn't need to be afraid of dying from an infection anymore. The wound can be easily treated and they will live. We can finally get back to rebuilding a society again, once we've conquered this hurdle."

Dmitri came back with a tray of food in one hand and a first aid kit in the other. Mathias stood and took the tray then put it down in front of her.

"A sign of goodwill," Mathias said, taking a step back. "If you help us we'll provide you with food, safety, protection. Stevens has set up a long lasting base of operations here. We have enough food to last a lifetime."

Sam looked at the food skeptically then back up at Mathias and Stevens. "Is this drugged?"

Mathias took a carrot stick and then ate it. "There," he said. "Would you like me to try the beef?"

Sam glared at him but ate the food despite herself. She was hungry and she wouldn't torture herself just to make a statement. If anything, she was taking food from them which was a win-win.

"I see you've bandaged the bite," Mathias observed. "Hold out your hand, and I'll dress your bite properly."

Sam didn't want Mathias to touch her but she didn't want to get a secondary infection either. She held out her bitten arm whilst she ate the meal with the other. Mathias treated her arm quickly and with expert precision. Stevens fidgeted next to him, looking at Mathias anxiously, then at Sam.

"When can I get the blood?" he asked.

"In due time," Mathias said. "We need her cooperation first."

Sam scowled at him and then at Mathias. So they had her bit and now they wanted her blood. No wonder they were buttering her up. Mathias was eloquent, but she wasn't going to help him.

"There we go." He finished wrapping the bandage and placed the tools back in the first aid kit. "I'm sorry for how my men treated you," he said. "But understand, you are very valuable. Please, just help us. If not for us then for the rest of humanity."

Sam finished her dinner and stared at him. "I've heard what you've done in your experiments, Mathias," she said. "Lara told me. Do you think I'll help you after you kidnapped me, and especially when you want my girlfriend dead?"

"Lara's an unfortunate casualty, but that doesn't mean you should doom humanity just to spite me." The way he spoke about Lara - so casual, so indifferent, like she didn't matter at all - made Sam want to punch him. "Please, Sam. If you won't cooperate willingly then we might need to resort to less savoury methods."

Torture? Oh how quickly he changed his tune. "Lara will come for me, you know." She sounded more confident than she felt. "If you left her alive, she's going to come. And she's going to kill you all when she does."

Mathias' calm veneer wavered, but then reinserted itself just as quickly. "Lara won't come for you," he said. "She's too smart to do something so stupid. We have too many men here - once she sees this place, she'll turn around, if she even comes after you at all."

"You obviously don't know her then." Lara loved her. After all they had been through she knew that she would do anything for her. Sam didn't want her to get hurt, but she knew Lara would come for her.

"She and I are alike," Mathias said. "We're survivors. And she wouldn't risk her life to save someone she could so easily replace."

Sam looked down. She didn't want to believe him, but was he right? Lara was pragmatic and in theory, she shouldn't bother with risking her life for someone else. Lara loved her, though. She wasn't someone she could replace, right?"

"So come on, Sam," Mathias said - almost pleaded. "Help us."

Sam stared at him. "You'll have to torture me," she said.

Mathias scowled and then sighed. "I tried being nice." He stood and Dmitri and Marvin walked forward. "Would you please hold her down whilst the Doctor takes some blood?" he asked.


	33. The Lengths We Go To

Thanks for the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

Lara and the siblings followed two men as they moved down the road, keeping quiet. The men were oblivious, and continued on their business, looking through the shops for scraps.

"Hey, I'm just gonna take a piss," one man said.

"Yeah, okay."

Lara signalled to Jake to follow the man who headed out into the alleyway. Jake nodded, and then Lara tailed the other man into the shop. Emma followed her, ready in case things didn't go off as planned.

The man walked over to the counter and Lara crept quickly up behind him. Before he turned around, she stepped hard down on the back of his knee and then wrapped her bow around his neck.

"Fu-"

Lara pulled the bow back with all her strength, ignoring the flailing arms by her side. In a minute, the man collapsed, unconscious, and she slung her bow around her body again.

She turned around to Emma and gestured outside to go check on her brother. She found plastic ties in the store room which she took with her back into the main room.

Will's partner was still unconscious on the floor when she returned. Jake and Emma walked into the shop, carrying an unconscious William between them.

"Are you sure about this?" Emma asked, putting him down.

Lara looked down at the unconscious Will and steeled herself for what was to come. "Yes," she said.

* * *

Lara stepped outside the room and closed the door, taking a deep breath. Her hands trembled slightly from what she had done. The blood was still warm on her hands as she wiped them against the wall.

She wished Sam was here to hold her hands still, and to remind her of her humanity, but she was the reason she was doing all of this. Jake and Emma were keeping watch outside the post office and she couldn't waste their time by stalling. Additionally, every minute she delayed, Sam could be put under more and more experiments. It had already been a week.

 _For Sam,_ she reminded herself.

She hastily wiped the blade of her knife against some paper and then took a deep breath. She turned around and headed back into the room.

The metallic scent of blood filled the room, along with the stifling humidity in the air. Will stirred from his unconsciousness and tugged at the bonds holding his hands above him. They were tied firmly to a radiator, and he wasn't going to get out without breaking his bones.

"Wha-what?" He looked around and choked when he saw what was left of his partner. That one had been stubborn in giving up answers, and his body was drenched in blood by the time Lara finished. White light from a lantern illuminated the room just enough to see.

He looked up. "Lara?" he asked.

"I'll give you one chance, Will," she said, gripping her knife in her hand. "Where is Sam?"

Will frowned at her, dazed. "What? Why are you doing this?"

He couldn't make this easy, could he?

Lara knelt down next to him and stabbed her knife through his thigh.

"Ahh!" Will cried out in pain and jerked his leg, trying to get away from her. Lara held the knife still though, and Will couldn't move away from her without also pulling himself from the blade. "What the fuck are you doing? Stop!"

Blocking out the chills his screams sent across her skin, Lara jerked the knife out and then stabbed his other thigh. Will yelled again, "Stop!" he pleaded. "Please I'll tell you!" Tears were streaming down his cheeks. It was pathetic.

"Where's Sam?" Lara growled. "I won't ask again."

"She's at Cardiff University!" he said, sobbing now. "We've been looking for her for weeks!"

"Why?"

"Because she's immune!" he said. "Mathias has been running experiments on people, trying to find a cure for the virus."

Lara had already heard this from the other man, but it still didn't comfort her hearing it a second time. "You told him, didn't you?" Lara asked. "There's no way Mathias could have known about Sam, but you told him."

"I had to," Will said, eyes red. "I'm sorry. I was caught stealing some food from them. It was the only thing I could do to save my life."

This piece of... Lara growled and twisted the knife in his leg sharply. Will screamed again and tugged at his restraints uselessly. "I'm sorry!" he yelled.

"Sorry?!" Lara snapped. "You threw her under the bus just to save your own sorry arse! You can't tell me you're sorry!"

"I had to! I'm sorry!"

He was still giving her this bullshit? "Oh you will be," she whispered. "I'm going to kill you for what you did to Sam."

"I didn't mean it," Will said. "Please, stop."

"You're pathetic, you know that?" Lara spat. "You helped Mathias kill some good people and now you've sacrificed your former friends just to save yourself. No wonder you didn't last as long as your partner."

She rubbed her face and glared back at Will. "How many people do you have?" she asked.

"I-I don't know. A lot. Li-Like forty people? After we took over the resort Mathias asked those who wanted to to come with him. He led us to the university, where he-he had this Doctor friend who was studying the virus."

"Where are they keeping Sam?"

"We have guards everywhere, Lara, you won't get in."

"I'll decide that. What are your defences?"

Will hesitated but then thought better of it. "We have a wall. People enter by a boom gate. There are two people which keep a lookout there. Sam would probably be in the biomedicine building, where they keep all the test subjects. I don't know where exactly they're keeping her though; me and Harris were still looking for her when you kidnapped us."

"Where is this building then? How many guns do you have?"

"The building is further in the campus. It's tall and has a glass door. Mathias bought most of the guns from the resort with him, so almost everyone is armed. You're not going to survive, Lara."

This was sounding more and more difficult. Lara couldn't think of how she was going to get in without being spotted or killed instantly. Even if Emma and Jake decided to help her with this, she couldn't see how she was going to get in and out of the place.

"Is there another way in?" she asked.

"…I honestly can't think of anyway."

Lara tapped the hilt of the knife impatiently, making Will wince. "Well think harder," she growled.

Will looked around nervously. "I don't know. The wall is sturdy. We've walled off half of the campus since they couldn't clear it out. You could try to sneak through there?"

Lara gritted her teeth. This she could work with. It still sounded almost impossible but she would find a way.

"I've-I've helped you," Will said nervously. "Would you-would you please let me go?"

Lara narrowed her eyes at him. He really thought he was going to get out of this alive? After all he had done? "You know I can't do that," she said.

She grabbed the knife out of his leg and stabbed it through his throat before he could cry out again. Lara held it still as he withered and gurgled, drowning in his own blood, until he went limp and slouched against the radiator.

Lara pulled her knife back out. She wiped it and her hands on his shirt before heading outside to Emma and Jake. Her hands still trembled slightly and she shoved them in her pockets to stop. It was night, and they were talking quietly and leaning against a wall when she emerged.

Jake stood up off the wall when he saw her. "How did it go?" he asked.

"We heard the screams," Emma added. She seemed more cautious of her. "What did you do to him?"

"Will was weak," Lara said. "It didn't take much before he gave up." She was glad about that, as she wasn't sure if she could stomach another vigorous torture session.

"Did you find out where she is?" Jake asked.

"Yes. Cardiff University. I'm going to head there now."

"Wait." Emma caught her arm. Lara shook it off, annoyed, but stopped. "It's night," she said. "You can't head there now. You're tired and you've barely slept this past week. We'll set up camp tonight, and we'll go tomorrow."

"I need to go find Sam," Lara said, her voice cracking. She was so close and she couldn't give up now. "Who knows what they're doing to her in there? I need to go save her."

"You can't do that if you rush in there dead tired and without a plan," Emma argued. "Come on…you know it's the right thing to do."

Lara sighed and shook her head. As much as she wanted to go, she knew that Emma was right. If she rushed into a fully guarded compound now, she was going to die, and Sam would have no chance of escaping. "Okay," she conceded.

They rested in a building near to where the interrogation had happened. It was too dangerous to travel any further away, and it was too dangerous to stay where Will had been screaming. Lara kept turning over the information in her head, trying to picture the place, trying to think of a way in. She needed to be ready for anything that happened tomorrow.

"So what's the plan?" Jake asked. "It sounds impossible to get her out."

Lara looked up at him. They were sitting around the electric lantern, eating a meagre dinner as they rested from the long day. "I don't know," she admitted. "We go in, we save Sam."

Emma put her empty can of pork on the floor. "That's not much of a plan," she said. "And remember, we're not going to help you if it's too dangerous."

Jake looked at his feet and Lara nodded. The sibling's help had been conditional, and although she would have liked it if they helped her all the way, she understood their reservation. "I appreciate all you've done so far," Lara said.

"What happens if it _is_ too dangerous?" Emma asked. "Are you still going to try to save her?"

How was that even a question? "Yes." She had lost everyone she had cared about- she wouldn't lose Sam as well.

Emma snorted and shook her head. "You really love her, don't you?" she asked.

Lara realised she was playing with her pendant. The shape of the jade was a familiar and comforting feeling in her palm. "Yeah, I do."

"Be careful it doesn't get you killed."

Lara clenched her hand around the pendant her thought of everything they've been through. Sam was one of the few people in this world who still had a good heart. She would gladly give her life up for her.

"You should get some sleep," Jake suggested. "You look really tired."

Lara nodded and went over to the corner of the room and lay down to rest. She was so worried about how Sam was, but like Emma would say, it wouldn't do her much to worry. Tomorrow, they would find out what they were up against, and no matter what happened to her, she would find a way to get her out.

* * *

Lara sat in the alcove of the window and stared at the gates of the manor.

It had been a week.

A week since they left Epsom.

A week since she saw her father.

Lara sighed and rubbed her eyes. She was tired, and she wanted to sleep.

But she couldn't. What if her dad walked through those gates when she was asleep? She didn't want to miss him.

The door creaked open. Lara glanced over and saw Roth come in with a plate of chicken and a glass of water. Lara looked back to the gate, a hand absently playing with her jade pendant.

"Lara," he said, sitting down opposite her. "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten properly in days." He offered her the plate of food.

Lara shook her head. "I'm not hungry," she said quietly, still looking at the gate.

Roth sighed and put the plate down on a table. "Lara, I…" he hesitated, running a hand through his greying hair. "I-I don't think he's coming back."

Lara squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

No. She refused to believe that. "He promised," she protested. "He said he wouldn't leave me."

Roth sighed again and rubbed her shoulder. "I know he said that," he said, "But…sometimes people can't keep the promises they make. And it's not their fault, and it's not your fault. It's just the way it is."

Lara looked down at her hands. Her eyes felt tired, and her face felt weak. She wanted to cry, but she didn't think she had anymore tears to shed.

"Your parents sacrificed themselves for you Lara," he continued. "You can't let that be for nothing. They would want you to move on; to survive keep living."

Lara nodded weakly. Her parents had given up everything for her, she couldn't repay them by wallowing in her own self-pity for the rest of her life.

 _Promise me you'll stay strong,_ her father asked.

 _I promise,_ Lara thought, looking up.

She needed to stay strong. For her father's sake, for hers. She wouldn't be weak anymore.

Roth nodded and wrapped an arm around her in a hug.

"I'm here for you, girl," he said softly, "Whatever you need."

"Thank you," Lara said, leaning into his shoulder. She smiled at his warmth. "For everything."

"Anytime, Lara," he said. "Do you still want to eat?" he asked.

Lara nodded.

Roth handed her the plate of food and ruffled her hair. "I'll be downstairs if you need me," he said, leaving the room.

Lara smiled and looked down at her food. She dug into it eagerly.


	34. Trial and Error

Thanks for the reviews and to CosmicGunslinger for editing. Please excuse me if my medical knowledge is wrong.

* * *

Sam stared up at the ceiling, tired, but not tired enough to sleep. She had slept a lot in the past few days as there was nothing else to do. Her arm was wrapped in bandages and band aids from where the biter had bit her and where they had taken samples of her blood.

Although Stevens and Mathias were creepy and absolute assholes, they at least had a sense of hospitality. They had moved her to a new room, one with a mattress and blankets. They gave her meals three times a day. So as far as being imprisoned and experimented on goes, this wasn't so bad.

She hadn't been bitten by a biter again but Mathias had injected two serums of what she didn't know into her. The injections made her feel sick, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as the bite. People popped up to look at her through the window on the door occasionally. They wore white lab coats like Stevens did and Sam saw them take notes.

Every time they came around she would try to fight off them as they took samples. It didn't work though, as there was always another blockhead to hold her down. She was determined that if they were going to do this to her, it wasn't going to be easy. But in between she just… waited.

She waited for her next meal. She waited for their next test. But most of the time, she waited for Lara to come.

Sam spent most of the day wondering where she could be. Sam herself had no idea where they were and she wondered how Lara would be able to find her. It might take her forever to find her and even then, she had to get through a whole army outside. She often wondered if Lara was still looking for her, or if she had given up.

Sam wouldn't blame her if she did but it was still disheartening to think that she had given up on her.

She sighed and rolled onto her side.

Her heart ached when she thought of Lara. She should have told her that she loved her; it seemed so easy in hindsight.

Why hadn't she told her? Lara had been so understanding about her reluctance it was unfair to leave her in doubt like this. Things would have been easier and smoother between them, and they could have enjoyed whatever time they had left in happiness.

She was afraid, she guessed. Afraid that Lara would die or leave just like everyone else had. It had been easier to keep a distance, to convince herself that she didn't really care about her. She wouldn't get hurt that way.

Now it seemed like Sam was the one who lost. Maybe it was better that Sam didn't tell her about her true feelings then. Lara would move on, and she wouldn't go through as much heartbreak as she would have otherwise.

The door opened and Sam sat up. Mathias and Stevens walked in, followed by Dmitri and Marvin.

"You just took some blood a few hours ago," Sam growled. "It's only a matter of time before you bleed me out, you know."

"We need something else this time," Mathias said. "Our results were not as successful as we hoped."

"Hey, you're the doctor," Sam said. "I guess you're not a very good one."

"We need some cerebrospinal fluid," Stevens said, putting a toolbox on the floor and pulling out a hollow needle. "I'm hoping that we can use it to see the effects of the virus on your brain."

"The alternative is that we cut open your skull and look at it that way," Mathias said, a hint of a sadistic smile on her face. "This can be quite a painful procedure, so I suggest you do not fight this time."

Sam swallowed as Dmitri and Marvin moved towards her. She struggled a bit as they grabbed her arms, but something told her that it would be a bad idea to do it again as Stevens approached her.

Dmitri and Marvin pulled her arms and kept her back straight. Stevens pulled her shirt up and touched her spine, feeling for something.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Keep still. I'm going to inject some anaesthetic." There was a pinch on her lower back and Sam hissed as a needle went in.

"I would still keep still if I were you," Stevens said.

Sam could only barely feel his fingers on her spine as he placed another needle between her vertebrae. After five minutes, Stevens stepped back and Dmitri and Marvin let go of her. "You should lie down," Stevens said to her. Then to Mathias, "We should get this back to the lab. I'm eager to see what they'll show."

Sam could only watch them as they left the room and locked the door. Her head suddenly started to throb and she lay down like Stevens suggested. These tests were just getting worse and worse. She had a feeling that if they didn't discover a cure soon, they would end up cutting open her brain.

She closed her eyes as her headache intensified. What had they done to her?

Sam tried to sleep to shut out the pain. It wasn't as bad as the other injections they gave her but after the anaesthetic wore off, she also felt sore in her lower back.

She managed to sleep though, and when she woke up she felt much better.

There was some tinkering by the door. Sam sat up and looked around. There was no window in here but she must have been asleep for half the day. It was probably night now, and time for dinner. Heaven knows that she could use some food after that draining affair.

The door swung open and Lara stood up lockpick in hands. She was wearing a black coat with a cap and bandanna around her neck.

Sam gaped at her and was about to call her name when she put a finger to her lips.

She closed her mouth. Right, it would probably be stupid to alert everyone else to her presence.

"Sam!" Lara whispered. She ran over to her and hugged her tightly.

Sam hugged her back, closing her eyes. "Holy crap, you're here," she said. It was so good to be in her arms again.

"Of course I am." She gave her a quick once over and her eyes landed on her arm. "What did they do to you? Are you okay?"

Sam shook her head. "I'll explain later." They didn't have time for this now.

Lara nodded. "Right." She grabbed her hand and drew her pistol with the other. "I'll get you out of here, I promise."

Sam let her lead her towards the door. She still felt a bit light headed but she wasn't going to let that stand in the way. "How did you get in?" Sam asked as Lara pulled her to her feet.

"Emma and Jake caused a distraction," she said. "That's all the help they're giving, though. I snuck in through the other side of the uni. There was a guy that I… interrogated to find out where you were. I took his clothes so it'd be harder for them to spot me." She peered outside the door then ducked back in quickly, lowering her voice. "We'll get out the same way. Just stay close."

Sam squeezed Lara's hand as she opened the door again. This was dangerous, and she wanted to tell Lara that she loved her before she lost her again. But then Lara ducked out and the opportunity was gone.

They strode through the hallways, on edge and looking around for danger. Sam prayed that they wouldn't be spotted when they rounded a corner and saw two men in the distance.

They were the ones who brought her her food.

"Shit!" Lara shot one of them in the head but the other ducked and she missed. He ran to a fire alarm on the wall and slammed his fist into the button just as Lara shot his chest.

Bells blared throughout the buildings.

"We need to run," Lara said, running past the men and shooting the last one in the head. "Come on."

Sam followed her, her heart beating in her chest. One second out and they had already been compromised. She didn't know if they would be able to get out now, but she didn't want to get caught again.

They ran towards the fire escape and rushed down the stairs. As they burst through the doors, Sam saw that several people were running towards them. Lara pulled her right and along the side of the building as people shouted and pointed at them.

A few people shot at them but as Sam sped up and ran next to Lara, the gunshots stopped.

Lara grabbed her hand and ran along the side of the building, towards the front. Sam panted and gripped Lara's hand tighter as they emerged from cover and ran towards the other buildings. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam could see more people run towards them but she couldn't focus on that now. She had to keep running.

Suddenly, someone slammed into her side and she went down, spots dancing in front of her eyes. She was vaguely aware of someone tackling Lara in front of her and she went down in a heap.

"Lara!" she cried. The guy who had tackled her rolled her onto her stomach and pulled her arms behind her back.

More people converged on Lara in front of her. Sam's heart leapt into her throat as she disappeared in a flurry of limbs as the men kicked and punched her.

"Stop!" Sam cried. She struggled to free her hands as they kept beating her. Tears tittered in her eyes.

"Stop!" Mathias yelled.

All the men stopped reluctantly and they pulled Lara up onto her knees. The man restraining Sam pulled her up onto her knees as well.

Lara was breathing heavily, her head bowed down so Sam couldn't see her clearly. Her beautiful face was now bruised, and there was blood trickling down her forehead. Her lip was split and when she coughed, she spat blood.

"Well this is unexpected," Mathias said, walking towards them. He was looking at Lara curiously and knelt down in front of her. "I thought you were smarter than this."

Lara glared at him silently with black fire in her eyes.

Mathias was clearly amused. His lips turned up in a smile. "This turned out well, however."

"Let her go," Sam begged. "She has nothing to do with this."

Mathias stood and turned around to her. "On the contrary, she tried to steal you from us."

"Rescue," Lara mumbled.

Mathias glanced at her but whatever he was about to say was interrupted by a man who pushed through the crowd. "Mathias!" he said. "Howard and Chris are dead on the second floor! And I found Patrick naked and dead behind the Lawson building."

Mathias glared at Lara and Sam. "And you said she had nothing to do with this?" he growled, his voice rising. "She killed three of our people. I should let these men continue to beat her senseless for what she's done."

"No!" Sam cried. She couldn't let Lara get hurt anymore because of her. "Please, just let her go. She'll leave you alone, and I'll help you with whatever experiments you want."

Lara's head shot up and she could see the plea in her eyes. "Sam, don't," she said, her voice strained.

Sam ignored her. She was desperate.

"I don't think we'll do that," Mathias said. "Your girlfriend will be a good hostage. You two clearly care about each other if she came to rescue you, so this will make sure that you no longer resist our attempts to find a cure."

Sam gritted her teeth. The bastard. She couldn't believe that he could play with people's lives so easily.

"If you hurt her," Sam growled. "I won't help you. I'd rather kill myself then help you."

Mathias narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?" he asked. He walked over behind Lara and pulled out a knife. Dread filled her throat and Sam watched on helplessly, her poker face crumbling.

"Howard was never married," he said, taking Lara's right hand. "Now Lara never will be, either." He brought the knife down on her ring finger.

Lara cried out and tried pulling her hand away but Mathias didn't let go. Before Sam could process what happened Mathias sliced the knife through another finger. Lara screamed again and struggled to tug her hand away as blood ran down her arm. "That was for Patrick." He readied the knife again.

"Stop!" Sam cried. Mathias stopped and looked at her expectedly. Everyone stared at her while Lara was heaving breaths beside him, trying to pull her hand away. Sam tore her gaze away from her and looked up at Mathias with absolute hate. "Fine," she growled. "I'll be your guinea pig. Just stop hurting her."

Mathias let go of Lara's hand and she pressed it against her stomach. "Good. Because I need you alive." He pointed the knife at Lara. "But I don't need _her_ alive. So you'd best start behaving like a good little girl else next time I'll be taking more than her fingers. " He threw the fingers at her and she flinched away from them. "Take her back to her room." Mathias ordered. He pointed at Lara. "And throw her in another room."


	35. Trust

Thanks for the reviews! And thank you to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

Lara struggled to free herself as the men dragged her down a hallway. One of them opened a door and they threw her into the room.

Lara instinctively held out her hands to stop her fall and the force jarred through her cut fingers. She cried out and lost her stability, instantly collapsing on the floor. Her fingers blazed like they were on fire and she cradled them to her chest, getting to her feet. This couldn't be how it ended. There had to be a way out.

Lara looked around the room for anything of use but it was empty. The walls were also solid and there were no windows which she could escape from. They must have specially stripped it for prisoners. She growled and untied the neckerchief then used it to wrap her two bleeding fingers. Her whole body hurt like hell and she felt so tired from the beating they gave her.

Lara walked over to the door and peered through the window on it. There were two men standing guard outside her door, rifles in hand. One of them she recognised as Dmitri, the other she didn't. She had a bobby pin in her hair which she could use to try to picklock the door but she didn't think she would be able to get past the men.

Still…it was worth a shot, right?

She winced and knelt down, ignoring the soreness and stiffness in her legs. She bent the bobby pin and then set on trying to pick the lock, trying to remember what Alex had taught her.

"Huh?" came a gruff voice.

Shit! She must have been making too much noise. Lara scrambled away from the door, expecting it to open. She held her breath for a minute but nothing happened.

Lara stepped quietly back to the door and looked outside again. The guards hadn't moved, but it was clear it was too dangerous to try again.

Lara sighed and sat back against a wall, resting her head on her knees.

She had failed. In fact, she had just made things worse by getting captured. Jake and Emma were probably long gone and there would be no help coming. There had to be a way out though, and she would find it.

The door opened.

Lara bolted to her feet, ready to fight, but Dmitri and the other guy came in with their rifles pointed at her. She backed down and stood with her fists clenched as Mathias walked in. She wanted to punch him, but that would be suicide right now.

"Hello, Lara," Mathias said. Dmitri smirked next to him, his eyes glittering with the cruelty of his older brother.

Lara didn't satisfy him with a response. She just glared at him silently.

"I didn't expect you to come," he continued. "Though it is a pleasant surprise. We could use your help."

"Like I would help you after what you did to us," Lara snarled.

"You killed three of our men," Mathias said. "This was a light punishment compared to what some of the men would do to a pretty face like yours." He dismissed it with a wave. "But this doesn't need to come to more violence. I want you to join us."

Lara narrowed her eyes. Mathias must be more foolish than she thought if he wanted her to join. "And everyone else agrees with this?" Lara asked. "I don't know what you're playing at Mathias, but I'm not going to fall for it."

Mathias furrowed his brow slightly. "You're strong Lara," he said. "You're smart. You understand what it takes to survive, the sacrifices involved. I wasn't pleased when you killed Vladimir…but I can understand why you did it. People like you," he gestured around,"…like _us_ , are survivors, and I'd rather you be with us then against us."

Lara glared at him silently. They were experimenting on her girlfriend and he had killed Roth - why did Mathias think that she would ever join them?

"We're close to a cure," he continued. "Dr Stevens is running many trials and they're showing promising results." His face turned sympathetic for a moment but Lara wasn't fooled by the façade. "You won't have to worry about getting bitten and you get to live happily with your girlfriend. We have food, water, electricity - we can rebuild and you can live here as soon as we find the cure."

Lara frowned. Was this what he told everyone? It was convincing, but she knew him too well. He was lying through his teeth and he would probably end up giving her to the wolves anyways.

"Think about it," Mathias said when she said nothing. "I'll give you a few minutes." He looked at her bandaged hand. "We can help each other, you know."

Lara frowned and watched them walk out of the room. She sat down again, drained of her energy.

What was Mathias' game? Why did he want her to join them? Wouldn't it be safer to just kill her? He may be keeping her alive because of Sam but still, why did he want her to join them?

Maybe it was as simple as wanting the strongest people. Perhaps he wanted a new lackey to replace the one Lara had killed?

Either way, it may be her only chance to get out of here. She wasn't going to escape otherwise. She would need to pretend to agree with him and hope that nothing else happened to her.

A few minutes later Mathias came back. "So?" he asked.

Lara glared at him resentfully. She hated this pretence, when all she wanted to do was stab him. "I'll join you," she said. She looked away. "I want to be able to live with Sam without fear." That part was truthful at least. "Are you guys actually close to the cure?"

Mathias smiled. "Yes. Sam hasn't been that cooperative though, but if you can get her to understand what we're doing here things will go a lot faster."

"You want me to help you experiment on her?" She couldn't keep the venom out of her voice.

"We're not doing anything dangerous to her; Sam is quite safe. We just need her blood and other samples so we can find out what makes her immune to the virus. In fact, there's something we need your help with now."

"What is it?" Lara asked when he didn't elaborate.

Mathias smiled. "Come with me," he said. "And don't try anything. I'm not giving you another chance." He turned and the two men walked forward to grab her arms.

Lara didn't resist and let them guide her down two flights of stairs and into some sort of underground lab. The walls were clean and white light shone out from rooms into the hallway. The walls separating the rooms were clear glass, and Lara could see a few scientists working inside with pipettes and test tubes. One doctor taller than the rest spotted them and grabbed something from a fridge before rushing over to them.

Mathias walked them over to a single door in the middle of the hallway. The scrawny guy in the lab coat handed him a syringe. "Thank you, Stevens," Mathias said. He turned to Lara. "We need you to inject this into Sam."

Lara stared at them skeptically. For all she knew it could be cyanide. "What is it? How do I know you're not trying to kill her?"

"It's a weakened version of the virus," Mathias said. "We want to see how she reacts to it. Don't worry, we've done this before to others. She shouldn't react badly to it with her immunity." He squeezed the first few millilitres out then gave her the syringe and a round band-aid.

"What's the purpose of this?" she asked.

"To find the cure, of course," he said vaguely. "Consider this a test. You know it will take a long time for us to trust you, but if you do this, I shall treat your fingers as a sign of good faith."

The fingers that _he_ sliced off, she thought sarcastically. How kind of him.

She didn't want to do this but she reminded herself that this was the only way.

She closed her hand over the syringe. "O…okay," she said. She hoped Sam understood what she was doing and didn't hate her for it.

Mathias opened the door for her. "We'll be watching," he said. Dmitri shoved her in and then walked in behind her.

"Lara?"

Lara looked up and smiled when she saw Sam. She didn't look injured which she was grateful for. "Hey." She rushed forward and hugged her tightly.

"Enough of that!" Dmitri barked. "Get away or I will beat you again."

Lara gritted her teeth but stepped away from Sam. She wanted to stab this needle into Dmitri's eye but she couldn't do that right now.

That gave her an idea actually…

"Are you okay?" Sam asked. She looked like she wanted to touch her again and Lara completely understood that. "They didn't hurt you anymore, did they?"

Lara shook her head. "I'm fine," she said. Seeing Sam now, she hated herself for what she was about to do. "I need to talk to you, actually…" Sam's eyes flickered between her and the men behind her. "I hear you've been fighting them. I think you should stop."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "What? Why are you saying this?"

"Mathias told me about what they're doing here. They're close to a cure, and your DNA could help them get there faster." As she spoke Sam took another step back from her, her lips parting in disbelief. Lara wanted to tell her to trust her, that she had a plan, but she couldn't with the others here. "So please, stop fighting them."

"Are you serious?" Sam asked. "What did they say to you?"

"The truth," she lied. "Look, please, just do whatever they need. They're doing good here." She reached forward and touched her cheek. "Don't you want me to be immune as well? So we can be together?" She did her best to talk to Sam with her eyes. _Trust me. I'm not with them._

Sam hesitated and looked down. "I can't believe you're doing this," she murmured.

 _Trust me._

"I love you, Sam. So please, help us put an end to this." Sam stared at her wordlessly.

 _Trust me,_ Lara willed.

When Sam didn't say anything else Lara showed her the syringe in her palm. "They need to inject this into you. It'll help us find the cure quicker. May I?"

Sam looked into her eyes and Lara willed with all her might that Sam understood her. She loved her. She would never do anything to deliberately hurt her. She needed to trust her.

"Okay," Sam said. She closed her eyes and held out her arm.

Lara grabbed Sam's arm gently and pinched a bit of her upper arm. She pierced her skin with the tip of the needle then pushed the plunger down slowly until it stopped. Sam was wincing the whole time, and Lara wanted nothing more but to say that she was sorry. After she removed the needle, she quickly stuck the band-aid on the site.

"Good," Dmitri said. "Now get back here."

Lara ignored him. Her heart was beating quickly. "I love you," she said to Sam. She grabbed her waist and pulled her into her, kissing her fiercely.

"That's enough!" She could hear Dmitri walking up to her. "Stop!"

Lara pushed one of Sam's hands around to her back and pushed the empty needle into it. She pushed Sam back a little with her kiss, hoping that the others wouldn't notice what she had done.

" _Enough_!" Rough hands grabbed her shoulders and threw her back. Lara stumbled from the force and had to brace herself against the wall to keep upright.

Dmitri growled and grabbed her by the collar. She shoved her against the wall and put his arm across her throat.

"Enough of that," he said in his Russian accent. He smiled so much like his older brother. "Unless you want give me some?"

Lara smiled smugly. "What? Is Vlad not good enough for you?" she asked.

Anger flickered across Dmitri's face and he punched Lara sharply in her stomach. The wind was knocked out of her and she doubled over, trying to breathe.

"You do not talk about him!" he said, striking her again. Pain hit her stomach and she swore she was going to throw up. " _piz'da._ "

Lara took half a deep breath in and shoved him back. The more of a distraction she could create, the more they wouldn't realise that the syringe had gone missing.

The shove didn't do much though and Dmitri pushed her back against the wall. Lara tried to knee him between the legs but her knee landed awkwardly against his knee.

"Stop! Please!" Sam shouted from somewhere behind her.

"Dmitri! Enough!" Mathias shouted. He pulled him off her.

"Let me kill her!" Dmitri growled. "I will make her scream for what she did to my brother."

Mathias frowned. "We can't do that," he said, his voice grating. "We need her alive."

Lara was bent over, trying to regain her breath. "Try again Dmitri," she breathed.

Dmitri turned to her and bared his teeth. "Enough," Mathias said. "Take her back to the room. I'll deal with her later." He glared at Lara before she left. "You disappoint me, Lara."

Lara barely put up any resistance as two men grabbed her arms and started leading her back to the room she was in before. They threw her in just as rough as last time.

"I kill you soon," Dmitri spat. "In great pain. I swear." He slammed the door shut.

Lara released her breath and rolled onto her side, curling up into the foetal position. That had hurt a lot on top of her other injuries. She could push through it though, and at least Sam had a chance to escape now. Lara prayed that she could think of a way to escape. It didn't matter if she left her here so long as she got out.

Lara closed her eyes and tried to make the pain go away. She thought of her happy place, the cabin that she and Sam would share. The air would be fresh, the water clean, the food plentiful. No one would bother them there and they could live together in happiness forever. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of Sam continuing her life without her. Lara wouldn't be there to protect her anymore, and she hoped that she would be alright…that she would be happy.

She didn't know how, but her consciousness blurred as she fell into a light sleep. It was welcome yet at the same time the anxiety in her stomach that she should be trying to escape gnawed at the back of her mind.

A click of the door made her bolt upright. She looked forward, her energy slightly restored as she saw Dmitri and the other guard stride into the room. Lara scrambled to her feet, stepping backwards as the men approached her.

"On your knees," Dmitri growled, his pistol pointed at her. "Hands on head."

Lara dropped to her knees and put her hands behind her head. Dmitri walked behind her and wrenched her arms behind her back then pushed her prone. She felt another pair of hands grab her legs and hold them still.

"What are you doing?" Lara growled. She tried to free her arms or kick her legs but they held her down tightly.

Mathias walked in after them with a needle in his hands. A chill went down Lara's spine and she struggled even more, but they were too strong.

"I gave you a chance Lara," Mathias said, kneeling down in front of her. His lips were downturned in a frown. "I thought you wanted to be one of us."

"I do," Lara lied. "That doesn't mean I can't love my girlfriend."

He _tsked_. "I warned you not to cause trouble, but you did anyways. There needs to be a punishment."

"You can't kill me," Lara said, giving up on her struggle. It was doing nothing and just exhausting her. "Sam will never help you if you do."

Mathias smirked. "She'll never know." He moved to the side of her and held the needle near her arm. "You would have been valuable as part of our group, but you can be valuable in other ways as well."

Lara winced as the needle pierced her flesh and she felt the serum push inside her. It was painful like a vaccination had never been in the past. Mathias was still smirking as he withdrew it and stood up. "Our latest cure," he explained. "We're trying to see if the virus has weakened enough that the human body can withstand it and produce antibodies to fight it. We've run out of other live subjects, so you'll have to do. Let's see how well you fare."

Dmitri leaned in close and she could feel his warm breath in her ear. "Everyone else dead. Painful, screaming. Hope you do the same." He let go of her hands. Lara would have tried to punch him except her right arm suddenly felt limp. The three men walked out of the room as Lara got to her feet.

She breathed heavily and walked to the door, holding her right arm. Dmitri and the other guard were laughing outside and a firm pull of the door showed that it was locked.

Lara grimaced and looked down at the small smear of blood on her arm, wondering what would happen to her.


	36. Wildfire

Thanks for all the reviews and thank you to CosmicGunslinger for editing. This chapter is sort of inspired by Seafret's 'Wildfire'.

Final chapter will be coming soon, rather than next week.

* * *

Sam opened her eyes slowly and gritted her teeth. Her mouth was dry and her stomach was doing flips. She rolled onto her back and lay there for a long time, trying to stop her body from hurting.

She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, or semi-conscious. She vaguely remembered people coming in and pouring water into her mouth or checking her vitals. Those memories were faint like a dream though, and Sam wasn't sure if they were real.

When she finally didn't feel like she would throw up, she sat up and looked around the room. There was a bottle of water and four apples by the door. Sam crawled over to them and downed half the bottle immediately before munching down on the apples.

They were delicious, but her stomach was still growling when she finished. She must have been out for a couple of days if she felt this ravenous.

When she finished the apples, core and all, Sam stood up shakily and looked outside the door. She could see a guard patrolling in this hallway and quickly ducked under the door before he saw her.

After she heard his footsteps pass by her door, she hobbled over to the far corner of the room. There, she lifted up the corner of the carpet and took out the needle Lara gave her.

She had no idea what she was going to do with this. It wasn't strong enough to kill someone outright so she needed to be smart about this. The tip was sharp, but it would snap once it was smashed against the skin.

Lara took another beating to get this to her and she couldn't fuck this up. She had to find out where Lara was and get her out as well, if they didn't kill her already.

Sam walked back to the door and hid behind it. She didn't know when they would open the door but once they saw that the room was empty, then they would have to investigate. She only had a needle, so she would try to stab it into his eye. Then she would need to get his gun or his knife to finish him off.

"Finally, you're here." Came a voice outside her door. It was gruff, and had a Russian accent. Dmitri, she guessed. "Standing around here is boring."

"Yeah, yeah." English accent, but she didn't recognise the voice. "Any trouble here?"

She heard something jingle. Keys?

"No. Everyone getting lunch. The doctor checking on Lara upstairs." Sam's heart leapt into her throat. "Girl not dead yet. A shame." Dmitri snickered. "Impressive, but she suffering. It's what she deserve. I think I might go watch her squirm."

"Alright, have a good one." She heard footsteps as Dmitri walked away. The new guard then headed off in the other direction.

Sam clenched her fist around the syringe. What did they do to Lara? Why was she in pain? If they killed her Sam swore she would kill all of them.

She knew she should never have trusted Mathias to keep his word. Mathias had her beaten her and now he was experimenting on her. She hoped that Lara wasn't dead - Sam still hadn't told her that she loved her.

"What the…?" Came a voice directly outside her door. Then, there was the frantic jingling of keys in a lock.

Shit, this was it. Sam pressed herself up against the wall and took a deep breath. She could hear her heart beating in her chest as she gripped the needle and readied herself.

The door opened and she saw the guard rush into the room. Sam stepped forward and wrapped her arm around his mouth. With the syringe in her other hand, she stabbed it into his right eye.

Sam grimaced as she felt his scream against her arm and blood run down her sleeve. She let go of the needle and fumbled for the knife at the man's belt. She felt its hilt and drew the knife, instantly plunging into his brain.

The man went limp in her arms and she let him drop with a thud. She closed the door hurriedly in case someone came along and looked down at the man. Her heart was still jackhammering in her chest as she knelt down and searched the guard. She managed to retrieve the knife, some keys, a gun and a candy bar that she scoffed down ravenously.

Sam shoved the gun into her jeans. She was glad she had one but it was too risky to use it here. She wasn't comfortable with a knife but it wouldn't alert everyone if she killed someone.

Sam peered outside the window and saw that the hallway was empty. After a few heartbeats where no one came, she slipped outside and into the hallway.

Sam had only seen it once and she vaguely remembered where they brought her down before. She headed down the hallway, staying low and out of sight of the windows. The labs she saw were empty save for one woman focused on studying something in a fish tank. She found the stairs easily enough at the end of the floor.

 _Upstairs,_ she remembered. Sam crept up the stairs and onto a floor which looked much like the second. A guard walked past the stairs in front of her and she ducked back down, pressing herself against the stairs. The guard continued by, humming to himself. Sam could hear several growls coming from the rooms. From the amount of noise, it sounded like there were a lot of biters in there. She guessed that they were experiments, either failed ones from Stevens and Mathias or just ones which were brought off the street.

She wondered how long they had been doing this, how many people they had given a fate worse than death to further their cause.

Sam could hear her heart in her ears as she crept behind the guard, the knife in her hands. She kept fearing that at any moment, he would turn around and see her.

When she got close enough, Sam kicked hard at the guard's knees. The man cried out and fell forward onto his knees, but before he could recover Sam pulled his head back and sliced his throat.

Blood spurted into the air. Sam let go of his hair and the man fell forward with a _thud_. The blood began pooling around his body.

The growls and the bangs rang louder and Sam looked around. The biters were getting restless; she needed to find Lara now. She quickly stripped the man of his keys, his gun and his knife. She didn't think there was anyone else left on this floor and started looking into the rooms, looking for Lara.

In each of the rooms, she could see many biters shambling around. It was at the fourth door where she saw Lara curled up against the far wall.

"Oh god," she whispered to herself. Sam pulled the keys out of her pockets and started trying them on the door. Her hands were shaking from what was happening but she managed to unlock it with the third key she tried.

"Oh god Lara!" Sam opened the door then rushed over to her girlfriend. She shook her shoulders. "Wake up!"

Lara groaned and tried to roll away from her. "No…" she muttered. "Not again…"

Sam pulled her into her lap despite her struggle. "Lara, it's me, Sam. It's okay."

"S-Sam?" Lara muttered, her eyes fluttering open. She looked up at her and smiled wearily. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to rescue you, idiot." Sam could feel tears in her eyes as she stroked her face. Lara was worse off than she had first thought. Her skin was clammy and pale, and it looked like she had a hard time focusing on her. "What did they do to you?"

"Experiment," Lara explained. "New vaccine. Still fed me, though. Don't want me dying early."

Sam stopped breathing for a moment. They experimented on Lara. If she had the virus in her then there was no way she would survive. But…if she was still breathing after a few days then surely there was a chance she was okay?

"Look…we'll-we'll get you out of here, okay?" She needed to remain hopeful for the both of them. "You promised me we would."

Lara's smile slowly turned into a frown. "Don't worry about me," she whispered. "Just go. I'm dead anyways." Her right hand - the hand that Mathias had cut - was pressed against her stomach.

They didn't have much time, the guards could come at any minute.

Sam snorted and stood up, pulling Lara up as well. "Yeah, since when have we ever agreed on anything?"

Lara sagged against her but then managed to stand by herself. She thought Lara was going to protest but she just looked at her with blank eyes. "What's your plan?" she asked weakly.

Sam didn't like how Lara looked. She was still swaying on her feet and looked like she was using every bit of her strength to stay up. Still, if Lara could move by herself then it would make getting out easier. "We need a distraction," Sam told her. "I have keys to this floor. There are biters in almost every room. I was thinking that if we open the doors, and then if something happens, the biters will come out and they will have to deal with them."

Lara blinked at her then slowly nodded. "Okay. Let's do this."

Sam gave her a knife and crept over to the door. When she saw that there was no one outside, she took Lara's hand and led them out into the hallway.

"Keep watch for me, okay?" Sam said. "I'm going to open the doors."

Sam quickly and quietly unlocked the doors to the rooms with biters in them. The biters inside groaned and moaned, but they didn't try to push open the doors. After she unlocked all of them, she returned to Lara and tugged her quietly down the stairs.

"Fire escape," Lara muttered. Sam glanced back at her. "We can't walk out the front door."

Sam glanced down the flight of stairs and realised that Lara was right. Although the fire escape hadn't worked out well last time, it was better than strolling out into the open.

She looked around and saw a blacked out green sign straight ahead which she recognised from their last attempt. "This way." She led them towards the inner courtyard.

 _Bang!_

A bullet just missed her.

Sam spun around and saw Mathias standing in the hallway with a gun. She stepped quickly in front of Lara and raised her own gun at him.

"Don't do this, Sam," he said. He held the gun steady at her. "Think about all we've accomplished. We're close to a cure!"

 _Bullshit._ Sam wasn't going to let him torture them anymore. She squeezed the trigger twice. One of the bullets hit Mathias' shoulder before he ducked into a room and growled.

"Sam!" he yelled angrily.

Sam quickly pushed Lara back and kept firing at the doorway. She rounded the corner then pressed herself against it as several bullets hit the ground next to her. "Last chance, Sam!" he yelled. "This place is surrounded. You won't be able to get out alive."

 _Dying would be preferable to this._

Lara gripped her arm tightly. "Sam," she whispered. "Throw down your gun."

Sam gaped at her. Had she lost her mind? How could they give up?

Lara reached down between them and drew out another gun. Sam had forgotten she had that.

"Distract him," she said. "Throw yourself on the ground. I'll shoot him."

Lara swayed on her feet and Sam wasn't sure she would be able to take Mathias out. She had to trust her though. Lara hadn't let her down before.

She grimaced. "Fine!" she snapped. "Just promise you won't hurt us!"

"I promise!" Mathias responded. "Now throw down your gun and come out."

Sam knelt down on the floor and slid her gun around the corner. "Good!" Mathias said. "Now come out. Both of you!"

Sam looked at Lara, who nodded. She took a deep breath and then threw herself out into the corridor.

She winced from the rough landing and looked up. Mathias swerved his gun to her, a look of confusion on his face before the sound of a gun made a hole in his head. He looked stunned for a moment, his eyes blank, before he fell backwards.

Sam stared at him for a moment. His blank, lifeless eyes stared into nothing. She really should have been relieved at his demise, yet they still needed to escape from this horrid facility of his creation.

Lara walked up to her and helped her up. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "We should keep going." She glanced down the hallway and started down it.

"Wait," Lara said.

Sam glanced back. Lara knelt down next to Mathias and then picked up the two Remmingtons on his body.

"Okay." She stood back up, grimacing. "Now we can go."

Outside, Sam could hear several shouts and yells as people rallied to the building. If the gunshots had drawn the others here, then she hoped the biters would soon emerge to meet them.

Lara reached the door to the fire escape and reached for the handle when the door burst open. Lara was knocked back against the railing as Dmitri burst through and pinned her against it.

"There you are!" He growled. " _Schas po ebalu poluchish, suka, blyad!_ "

"Lara!" Sam fired the gun at Dmitri when the whole railing gave way with a loud _crack_.

Sam rushed over to the edge just in time to see Lara land on her back and then cry out in pain. Dmitri groaned and pushed himself up onto his knees, glass crunching under his boots. He crawled over Lara and wrapped his hands around her throat, teeth bared. "I kill you now for what you did to my brother," he said tightening his grip.

Sam aimed the gun at Dmitri and shot him twice. The bullets pierced his head, splattering his brains and he slumped down on the floor.

Lara gasped as air entered her lungs again, but it turned into a painful cry. Her hands clasped around a patch of red at her side and Sam realised with a start that she had landed on something sharp.

"Lara no!" She looked around and couldn't see a way to get down.

"Shit," she cursed. There was only one way down. She sat down on the edge of the balcony and then slid off.

Sam landed roughly on her knees, which sent pain up her legs. She stumbled over to Lara who was breathing shallowly now and gripping her side where a rebar had pierced her.

"Holy shit, Lara!" She had no idea what to do. They needed to move but getting this thing out of Lara might do more damage than good.

"Sam," Lara grimaced. She grabbed her hands as Sam tried to touch her. Her eyes were bright and pleading. "You need to go."

"What? I'm not going to leave you!" She looked around desperately. Panic was settling in and it was harder to breathe. "Look, I'll find a way to get you out, okay? I promise." She moved Lara's hand out of the way and tried to pull it out.

Lara cried out in pain and Sam instantly stopped. "I'm sorry!" she said. The bar looked attached to a fallen piece of railing. The only way to get Lara out of this was to pull her off it.

"You need to leave," Lara begged. Her breathing was faster now. "I'm not going to make it."

Sam ignored her and got to her feet."I'm sorry Lara, but this is going to hurt." She grabbed Lara's hand and pulled her up, wrenching her off the rebar.

Lara yelled as the bar was ripped from her side with a horrific _squelch_. Lara instantly sagged against her and Sam struggled to keep her up.

"I'm sorry," Lara whispered.

Sam pulled her up against her. "You can make it up to me by getting out of here," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Her side was warm from where the blood seeped into her clothes. The feeling sent a fresh wave of fear through her but Sam managed to swallow it down.

Lara pushed herself off her. "I can walk," she muttered.

Sam glanced at Lara skeptically but then decided to leave her. Lara was going to be slow, so Sam would be best off scouting. She opened the door which lead out into the hallway and signalled to Lara to come through. Lara had picked up Dmitri's gun and hobbled through the door. "We're almost out," Sam said. "We can do this."

Sam ran ahead to the double doors and nudged it open. The sound of gunfire rang through the lobby and she could hear people shouting. "The biters are loose! They're coming out from the labs!"

Sam closed the door again and looked around. There was a faded exit sign on the far end of the hall. They had to go this way, it was too risky to go through the lobby.

"Come on, Lara." She took her hand and followed the signs to a smaller exit. Sunlight shone into the hall and when she peeked her head out, she could see people rushing towards the building. Getting out was going to be dangerous, but Sam had no choice.

She turned around to Lara. "We're going to sneak through," she told her. "Are you up to it?"

Lara was gripping her side and her face was twisted in pain. Still, Lara managed to nod and squeeze her hand.

 _Right_. Sam looked outside again and then ran to the closest bushes outside the building. She peered over the bush then darted across the road and behind another building. Lara followed clumsily and slumped against the wall as Sam glanced at her with worry. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Lara took several deep breaths before answering. "Let's keep going."

Sam gripped her gun and ran along the wall of the building. She quickly held out her arm to stop Lara as she saw two people run past in front of them.

"What's happening?" one of them asked as he ran past.

"I don't know!" Their voices faded as they moved away.

Sam looked around and saw that it was clear. There was a building ahead to their left where the fence ended.

Lara winced and leant against her back. She pointed at the building. "That's where I got in from," she said. "There's biters on the other side."

Sam turned around and steadied Lara. She sagged into his arms but then managed to stand. "Hey, stay with me okay?" Sam said. "Once we get out of here, we'll fix that wound?"

Lara nodded mutely. Sam dragged her towards the building and shoved the doors open. It was dark inside, and Sam would have gotten lost within the building if Lara didn't take the lead.

"Here," she said, stopping at a recently boarded up window. "Break it off."

There were still planks and supplies next to the window. Sam picked up the hammer and used the back end to pry off the nails. Lara watched her with a grimace, her hand pressed to her side. Behind them, she could still hear gunfire as the others fought off the biters.

Sam tore off the rest of the boards and threw them to the floor. After a quick look outside to confirm that there were no biters, she jumped through the window then slowly helped Lara through as well.

"We're almost there," Sam said, looking around. "Just hold on, okay?"

"Keep going," Lara muttered. "Right. There's a way out into the city."

Sam turned and led them through the university. The roads here were dirty and cluttered with biter corpses everywhere. It was clear that Stevens and Mathias didn't bother with expanding past this area and the guards had just mowed down the biters that came too close.

The sound of the gunfire drew stray biters towards the main campus. As Sam and Lara made their way back to the city, a few biters tried to ambush them. Sam fought them off with some difficulty, feeling fatigued and weak from weeks of being a human lab rat. Lara tried her best to help but Sam told her to keep watch. She wasn't doing well and in her state, she would probably do more harm to herself.

At one point she saw a large horde of biters heading down the road towards them. Sam pulled them quickly into a nearby cafe and pushed a table against the door, praying that they wouldn't come in here.

"Let's hope they pass us," she whispered, turning around to Lara.

The Englishwoman slumped against a wall and slid down it. "I can't do this anymore, Sam," she mumbled. Her eyes were closed and her face was twisted in pain. Her wound had soaked the left side of her shirt with blood and her skin was even more pale than before.

"Lara no!" She rushed over to her and knelt down next to her. "We're almost out okay? You need to hang on!" Her voice shook with desperation. She couldn't lose Lara, not now. Not with what they've been through.

"I'm dying, Sam," Lara said, taking deep breaths. "If the virus doesn't kill me, then the rebar will. I'm bleeding out, and there's no way this can be fixed without surgery."

Sam could feel tears threatening to overwhelm her. "I'm won't lose you, Lara," she growled. She looked around angrily for something useful. "I can cauterize the wound-"

"And what about the virus?" she interrupted, her head rolling towards her.

Sam stuttered to a stop. She didn't know what the virus was doing to her, but she couldn't let Lara give up like this. "You're not dead yet! There's still a chance you'll make it!"

"I can feel it in me, Sam," she rasped. "It hurts. Everywhere. Just leave me. I'll only slow you down."

The tears poured down her cheeks freely now. Her heart felt like it was being torn from her chest. "Lara, please," she begged. "I love you. You can't leave me."

Lara opened her eyes and stared at her. A small smile graced her lips as a tear ran down her cheek. "I love you too."

"Then get up, and I'll tell you that for the rest of your life," she growled.

Lara reached forward and cupped her cheek. All the frustration drained out of her and Sam placed her hand over hers. "Please don't leave me," she pleaded.

They had just gotten each other back. Lara made her feel safe and loved like nothing else in this world could. They balanced each other out, with Sam making sure Lara didn't drive herself insane and Lara making sure she was safe.

She was her rock, her knight, her soulmate. After all they had been through, after all the death and hurt they had seen and felt, this couldn't be how it ended.

She didn't know how she could continue without her.

Lara stared at her, her breathing calmer. "If I turn," she muttered. "Don't hesitate, okay? Promise me."

Sam nodded mutely, pressing her lips hard together. She didn't know if she could kill Lara, but if it's what she wanted, then she would do it.

Lara smiled wryly and took her hand. "Then we should go before they come after us."


	37. This is What it Feels Like

Lara felt like she was dying. Or she was- she didn't know.

Her life felt like a dream.

She remembered walking along the roads to Plymouth with Roth, the despair she felt as the first year passed with no sign of rescue, and the relief as Jonah wrapped her in a bear hug.

She remembered how nervous she was when Amanda first kissed her, the warmth of the campfire as Roth wished her a 'Happy Birthday' in their second year, and panic as they climbed a fence to escape from a horde of biters.

The last bits felt so real. Sam's broad smile after they first made love. A talk with Roth late one night by a lake…and then his body, and the bodies of her friends and two children lying around her, a gun in her hand.

The last thing she remembered were soft lips against her own, and then…a whisper in her ear, "I love you, Lara. I won't leave you."

* * *

She opened her eyes.

Her breathing was slow, and air wheezed into her lungs slowly. Everything either hurt or was sore, but the worst pain was at the tips of her right fingers and along her left side. It felt like something was dissolving her flesh there - a constant churning and burning pain.

Lara tried to sit up. She put a hand against the floor and pushed herself up slowly. Her head suddenly gained ten pounds and she huffed, trying to stabilize herself.

"Holy shit."

Lara blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. A man and a woman were sitting on a sofa and looking at her, shocked.

"Emma?" she rasped. "Jake?" It looked like them. Her vision was adjusting to the light. Where was she anyways?

"Holy shit," Emma repeated. She rushed over and knelt down next to her. "You're actually awake! How are you feeling?"

"Like death," she croaked. She lifted her arm to rub her face but found that it stopped half way. She looked down at her hand and saw that she was handcuffed to the nearby radiator. Lara didn't have enough energy to wonder. She looked back at Emma. "Do you have water?"

Emma stopped scrutinising her. "Oh yeah, of course." She stood and walked back to the couch. "You should go get Sam," she said to her brother.

Lara sat up straighter. "Sam?" she asked. "Where is she? What happened?"

The nurse returned with a bottle of water and held it to her lips. Lara drank from it gratefully and felt relief as it washed over her parched throat. "Thank you," she muttered, her voice clearer.

"Sam's just outside," Emma explained, producing a small key from her pocket. She began fiddling with her handcuffs. "We ran into you guys after you just escaped the university. You'd passed out, and Sam told us what happened. Jake carried you as we're heading to the safe zone. We thought for sure you were going to turn which is why…" she unlocked the cuffs and Lara rubbed her wrist. "…Yeah. But now that you're awake…"

"Lara!"

Lara looked up as Sam ran into the room. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape as her black hair dropped down to her shoulders. She ran over and tackled her with a fierce hug that knocked the breath out of her.

"Oh my god!" Sam muttered. She buried her face in her shoulder and Lara felt tears on her skin. "I thought you were gone. Holy crap Lara."

The hug hurt her more than she could take. "Sam," she rasped. "You're hurting me."

Sam let go of her instantly. "Shit! I'm so sorry!" she said quickly.

Lara pulled her back in for a gentler hug. "It's okay," she said. She closed her eyes, content to fall back into a slumber like this.

Sam wrapped her arms around her neck. "I thought you were going to turn," she muttered.

Lara had thought the same thing a few days ago. She couldn't believe it. "Me too."

"How _are_ you alive?" Emma asked. "Didn't this 'Mathias' give you the virus?"

Sam pulled away and stroked her cheek. Lara smiled back at her for a moment before turning to Emma. "I don't know," she answered. "He said it was a weakened version of the virus, I think. And then he said something about antibodies. I'm not sure what he meant."

Emma frowned. "Then has he done it?" she asked. "If your body was able to fight off the virus, did Mathias find a vaccine?"

"Only one way to find out," Jake said.

"That's not happening," Sam said firmly. She squeezed her hand protectively.

Jake pressed his lips together. "I didn't mean we try it, Sam."

Emma sighed. "God, if you really are immune now, this could change everything."

"All we know is that I'm still alive," Lara breathed. "I don't know if I'm completely immune to the virus, and I don't want to find out."

Emma nodded. "Now that you're awake, we need to continue to the safe zone. I've done my best, but you need surgery, and fast."

Lara looked down at her side. She could feel that it had been bandaged, and probably treated, but it was still so painful. It was probably infected as well, and without surgery, she probably wouldn't survive.

"Do you know where the safe zone is?" she asked, looking up at Emma and Jake.

Emma and Jake exchanged a look. "As a matter of fact, we've already been there," Emma said. "There's no room. We were turned away and that's how we ran into you again."

"What?" The exclamation made her cough. Sam rubbed her back comfortingly. "Then how do you know they'll help us?"

"We need to try," Sam said. She was staring at the ground. "We don't have any other choice." There seemed to be more she wanted to say but she remained silent.

Lara nodded. "Okay," she said. "I might need your help though."

Sam put an arm around her and helped her stand. Her legs were weak and her head instantly felt a hundred times heavier. She sagged against Sam. "I'm sorry," she said. She eventually managed to stand on her own two feet after a minute of laboured breathing.

Sam smiled at her sadly, her eyes shining slightly. "It's okay, Lara."

"We're close to the safe zone," Emma said. "We were just taking a short break."

Lara pressed her hand against her side and grimaced. She took several deep breaths, trying to ignore the pain. "Let's go," she said.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Sam said.

Lara blinked awake from her daze and looked over at her. "What?" She immediately coughed, the motion causing her whole body more pain. Lara groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead.

Sam watched her sadly. "I couldn't kill you," she explained. "I mean, it's a good thing that I didn't, but I just couldn't…"

Lara couldn't see why she was so upset. Her brain was floating, and she had a hard enough time concentrating on walking let alone having a conversation. "It's okay, Sam."

"You were out for three days, Lara," she said. "You were barely conscious and getting worse by the hour. You were shivering even though I wrapped you in so many blankets and I could barely keep you hydrated. I thought you were going to turn."

Lara looked down at her feet as she walked. She felt guilty for putting Sam through this - she must have been scared out of her mind. But she still carried her all this way, she still kept her safe, even when it would have been easier to leave her.

"I'm grateful for what you've done for me," she muttered. "I'm not sure why you feel upset."

"I don't know…" Sam shrugged. "I feel like I failed you. You looked like you were in so much pain and I couldn't put you out of your misery. When you woke up, I was outside, trying to work up the nerve to do what needed to be done. Emma and Jake offered to do it but it didn't feel right. I know it turned out well but still…"

"Don't beat yourself up about this, Sam," Lara huffed. "You have a good heart, that's why you couldn't do it." She coughed into her hand and started feeling dizzy. The words she was about to say slipped from her mind but then flickered back. "And that's why I fell in love with you."

Sam beamed at her and Lara smiled back. Seeing her like this, even if it was her last day - it made her heart elate. "I love you too," Sam said.

Pain suddenly spiked up her left side and she cried out, stumbling. Sam caught her before she fell. "Shit! What's wrong?" she asked desperately.

Lara tried to stand straighter but found that her side was too painful. Her vision started to blur and she had to concentrate hard to stay awake. "I don't feel well…" she mumbled.

Sam slung her arm around her shoulder and held onto her tightly. "We're almost there, Lara," she said. Lara could hear the fear in her voice. "Just hang on."

Emma glanced back at them, her brow furrowed. "It's just about another hour," she said. "Just focus, Lara."

Focusing was all she could do to not pass out now. She had no energy in her limbs and she was leaning more and more against Sam with every step. Sam kept talking about something - probably in an attempt to keep her awake - but it only registered as background noise in Lara's mind. Breathing hurt, and so her breaths became shallower and shallower.

She didn't know how long she stayed in this horrible haze, but eventually someone said, "There! Up ahead!"

Lara struggled to lift her head as her eyes fluttered open. The light smarted her eyes and she wanted to go to sleep again.

Emma's voice was right next to her ear. "She's not doing so well," she said. Cold fingers touched her forehead.

"Hey," Someone jostled her. "Lara, come on! Wake up."

"I'm awake," she mumbled. She opened her eyes again and squinted at the scene before her.

There was a giant wall in front of them, made up of shipping containers stacked on each other and wooden planks. The middle section in front of them had several containers stacked in a rectangular shape with a strange vacancy in the middle. Lara could see the wall extended for a long way to their left and right, ending on their left at where the docks met the sea. She guessed that the safe zone encompassed the whole dock area, and a bit of the land around it.

"Hey!" Jake's voice boomed across the the surrounding area. "Beth! We need help here!"

Someone stood up in a small booth on the second layer of the shipping containers. It looked like a woman, and she looked down at them. "Back again?" Beth shouted. "We already gave you supplies!"

"We're not here for that," Jake continued. "We have someone that's injured. She needs surgery. I know you guys can help her."

"Please!" Sam shouted. Her voice rang in her ears. "Help her!"

Beth turned her gaze to Lara. Lara stared back, trying her best to stay upright.

Beth sighed. "I'm sorry, but we don't have enough room for you all," she said.

"Then just take Lara!" Sam cried. "Please, you need to help her."

Beth hesitated. "We really don't have enough room."

"Please!" Sam insisted. "It's just one person! You need to help her!"

Indecision flickered across Beth's face until it finally crumpled in resignation. "I…need to ask," she said. "Hold on."

Lara furrowed her brow and looked at Sam. She wasn't going to go in there whilst Sam stayed out here in danger. "Sam-"

"Shut up," Sam interrupted. "You need this."

"I'm not going in there without you," Lara said.

Sam looked at her, frowning. "You need surgery, Lara," she said. "If they let you in, you need to go. I don't want to be the reason you die."

Lara stared at her. Her jaw was set, her eyes shone with unshed tears, yet she still looked determined. She had never seen her like this before.

"Benjamin says okay," Beth called out. "We'll take _only_ Lara. We have a surgeon here who can help."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief whilst dread filled Lara's heart. "Please hurry!" Sam called out.

"It's not that easy," Beth said. "Once we do this for her. She needs to pay us back. She'll owe us her life."

"Fine!" Sam growled. "Just come get her, quick!"

"Sam, no," Lara protested. It took all her strength but she managed to push herself off Sam and turn to face her. She couldn't lose her again. "I'm not leaving you," she growled.

"Please don't make this harder than it already is," Sam begged, eyes downcast. "You need the surgery Lara. You'll die without it."

Lara clenched her jaw. She knew she should go. Her body was in so much pain she could barely function and heading into this safe zone was her only chance of survival. Yet she didn't want to leave Sam out here, not when she had just got her back.

Sam finally looked up at her. She was crying now, her cheeks wet with tears. "I don't want you to go either," she whispered. "But I spent the last two days thinking that you were going to turn." She looked away, biting the tremble in her lip.

"I already lost you once, Lara," she said, "I don't want to lose you again… so please, just go."

The doors to the bottom most shipping container opened. Two people pushed the doors aside and then approached them cautiously, both holding rifles. One of them looked at Lara closely whilst the other watched the others nervously. "We're here to take you inside," he said. "You should come quickly."

Lara looked back at Sam. She could feel her own tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'll come back for you," she said, her voice cracking. "I promise."

Sam smiled through her tears. "I know you will." She took something out of her pocket and handed it to her. It was a Polaroid of the two of them in a zip lock bag, taken what felt like years ago. She didn't know Sam even had this.

"Don't forget me, okay?" Sam joked half-heartedly. She leaned forward and kissed her one last time.

Lara closed her eyes, trying to memorize this moment; the taste of salt on her lips, the feeling of Sam's fingers against her cheek, and the warmth of her forehead against hers.

"I love you," Sam murmured.

Lara stroked her cheek with her thumb, trying to keep her breathing steady. "I love you too." She stroked her cheek for a moment longer then turned to Emma and Jake. They were standing there somewhat awkwardly, watching them. "Take care of her," she said. "Please."

Emma nodded somberly. "I'll do my best," she said.

Jake met her eyes and nodded.

Lara took a deep breath and nodded at the man who had spoken to her. The man walked over to her and slung the rifle around his back. He then slung Lara's arm over his shoulder and helped her walk towards the safe zone. Her body was in so much pain, but she forced herself to continue.

"I'll be here!" Sam called out. Lara glanced over her shoulder and saw that she was watching her go. "Just follow the signs."

 _I'll find you_ , Lara thought. _I promise._

* * *

 ** _THE END_**

* * *

 ** _Thank you all for reading this story and leaving such kind reviews! It was a joy to write and I hope you enjoyed this journey as well. Thank you eternally to CosmicGunslinger for editing this every week, he is a legend._**

 ** _The title of this chapter comes from Armin van Buuren's, 'This is What it Feels Like'._**

 _ **Epilogue is coming soon, and until then, Reckreator out.**_


	38. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Thanks to CosmicGunslinger for editing.

* * *

 _ **6 months later**_

* * *

Lara folded her clothes and placed them in her backpack. On top, she stacked packets of dried jerky, three MREs, food bars, a bottle of water and some water purification tablets that she had stolen over the past two months. It wasn't much, but it was all she could gather without raising too much suspicion. Even then, Benjamin had increased all eyes on the food stores.

Lara zipped the bag up and sat on the edge of her bed. This was the last night she'd spend in this place.

The zone was thriving, and they had a very real chance of returning to how the world once was before all this, but it was no place for her.

Benjamin was a strict leader, and he firmly believed in everyone contributing to build a better world. It was a noble ambition yet that meant that Lara was forbidden to leave once the surgeon brought her back to full health. They had saved her - now she owed them her life.

Lara looked outside her window. The lights from the other buildings were still off. Most people would still be asleep. It was almost sunrise however, and now was the best time to move.

She stood up and zipped up her windbreaker. From her pocket, she took out a Polaroid, now crinkled from the numerous times she had looked at it. The colour was still vibrant; it preserved a memory of the day that Lara realised her true feelings for Sam. She looked at it every day as a reminder of what she had to do.

She put the photo back safely in her pocket. Then, she grabbed her bag and headed outside.

Tanya was already up, to her surprise, nursing a cup of coffee in between cooking up some eggs. She looked up as Lara entered the room. "I guess it's time," she said, her Irish accent sounding particularly thick in the morning.

Lara nodded.

Tanya had been her roommate for the six months she had been here. She was kind, but firm, and took no bullshit from anyone. She had been one of the few companions she had made here.

"Well before you go, sit down, have some breakfast. You won't get eggs like these outside." She turned around and scraped the eggs she had been cooking onto a plate. "Made you some coffee as well."

Lara stared at the meal set before her. For a brief moment, she wondered what Tanya wanted - nothing was ever free. But then again, the woman had often shown her these small acts of kindness.

She looked up at Tanya. "Thank you," she said. Then she sat down and started eating.

The eggs were seasoned with some spice and the coffee was just what she needed before she set out on her endeavour. She was definitely going to miss it.

"Are you going to be okay here?" Lara asked in between mouthfuls of egg.

Tanya shrugged and took another sip of her coffee. "I'll survive," she said. "They shouldn't come down too hard on me. I'm the only one who really knows how to farm. Without me, they'll soon have no food."

"Just tell them that you had no idea of my plans." She'd hate to get Tanya into trouble.

Tanya smiled grimly. "I can take care of myself, Lara." She stood from her chair and went to a drawer. "Here, a gift." She put down a small jar of brown powder - instant coffee.

Lara frowned. "You don't need to, Tanya," she said. "You've already done enough."

Tanya pushed the jar towards her. "It's okay, Lara. There's more where that came from anyways."

Lara smiled and put the jar in her bag. "I left some pads under my bed," she told Tanya. "They're yours. There's not many but I hope you can use them." Tampons and pads were valuable luxuries in here, and you could trade them for some useful things.

Tanya raised an eyebrow. "Don't you need them?"

"I have tampons," she said. They were a lot more compact than pads and should hopefully last her two months.

Tanya nodded and smiled. "Thank you."

Lara finished her breakfast and then stood up. Tanya gave her a brief hug at the door. "I hope you find her," she said. "Stay warm. It's getting cold now."

Lara returned the hug awkwardly. "Thank you for everything," she said. Then, she stepped outside and left the house.

Lara made her way through the docks and towards the main entrance. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon but it was still dark. The guards would be tired now, and their attention lax. It should be easy sneaking through the city.

At the main entrance, she rapped lightly on the shipping container and waited. A moment later, Mark came out from the door and looked her up and down, unimpressed. "Do you have them?" he asked.

Lara fished the two food coupons she had been saving from her pocket. She had saved these from the last few months, rationing her own food. "Here." She handed him the tickets.

Mark took them from her then opened the doors of the shipping container. They were just wide enough for her to slip through. "Don't get yourself killed, kid," Mark said.

Lara glanced back at him and nodded. Mark was a good guard and the place would be safe under his watch. She slipped through the door and Mark closed it behind her.

Lara looked ahead of her. The morning was eerily quiet and she could see the sun starting to rise. She looked around at the empty city, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. It had been a long time since she was out in the wild and a ball of fear wormed itself into her stomach. She had no idea how out of practice she was, but she hoped she could survive and find Sam.

* * *

She found the first note in the building that she had woken up in six months ago. It was taped to the back of the door.

 _Hey Lara! Sam here. I hope you're doing okay. I hope the surgery went well and that you're not-_

The last word was scribbled out. Lara had the feeling that she meant 'dead'.

 _Anyways I'm going to leave you these notes so you can find us. And as a way that I can talk to you…I know it's stupid but it's the only way I can cope with you gone._

It was only now Lara realised that there were tear splotches on the paper.

 _We'll be searching around the Rosewood Plaza. Here's a spare map. There'll be another one of these near there. Come find us._

 _Love you always, Sam._

There was a ' _#1'_ at the bottom of the note.

Lara tucked the note into her pocket and picked up the map, looking at the red 'X' marked on the grid.

* * *

 _Hey Lara, Sam here. I hope you're recovering well. How's the safe zone? Probably a lot more comfortable than this shithole here._

 _Emma and Jake have been really supportive. It's getting a bit hard to find water as we don't really have a way of purifying it._

 _Head to Thornton Street._

 _Love, Sam._

 _#9_

* * *

 _Hey Lara._

 _Jake almost died today. He fell from a balcony whilst trying to escape some biters. Emma is looking after him now and she's losing her mind. I know how she feels and I'm trying my best to help her._

 _I miss you. I always relied on you for strength and I wish you were here. Come find me soon._

 _Head to King's Avenue._

 _#26_

* * *

 _Lara._

 _I don't know if you're dead, or still in the safe zone but it feels so lonely without you. I wouldn't blame you if you stayed, but a selfish part of me wishes you were out here, searching for me._

 _I love you._

 _Blackburn Library._

 _#37_

* * *

 _Lara._

 _I'm so sorry. Please find me soon._

 _Howard Street._

 _#49_

* * *

 _Lara._

 _Brook Street._

 _#71_

* * *

 _ **2 months later**_

"All clear," Emma said. "Good job everyone."

Sam wiped her knife clean on the corpse of the biter she had just killed then stood up.

"I'll go look upstairs," Emma said.

"I'll go to the backyard," Jake said.

That just left the bottom floor of the giant two storey house for Sam. "Then I'll be down here," she muttered.

Jake went out back whilst Emma lingered in the room. "You okay?" she asked, her hand brushing her shoulder.

Sam forced a smile. "Yeah," she said. "I'm just really tired. You know how it is around this time."

Emma smiled wryly. "Are you still going to leave a note for her?"

"Of course," she replied automatically. A wave of hopelessness washed over her as she thought of Lara again. She cleared her throat, eager to be alone. "We should finish searching this place."

Emma looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it at the last minute. "Okay," she said. She touched her shoulder comfortingly and went upstairs.

Sam shook herself from her sadness and started combing every nook and cranny of the bottom floor. They were strapped for food now and staying in the city only made things worse. Emma and Jake had suggested they move to the country but Sam had begged them to wait another month. Lara could be looking for them this very minute and if they went out of town it would be twice as hard for her to find them.

In the kitchen, Sam found a tub of powdered pudding at the back on the very top shelf. Behind a cluster of rubbish in the pantry, she also found a can of tuna which had fallen down. And underneath the sofa in the lounge she found a plastic bag full of chocolates and sweets - probably someone's secret stash.

In the lounge, she also found a notebook on a side table. She ripped out a blank page and took out her pen, ready to write their next location on the paper but then hesitated.

Was there even a point to doing this anymore? For all she knew, Lara was dead or still back at the safe zone.

That place had food, water, walls - everything anyone would want in this world. Lara was smart, she would probably stay there and establish a new life for herself. With her looks as well it wouldn't be hard for her to find a new partner. One who won't almost didn't get her killed on a daily basis.

Sam felt tears prickle her eyes and she didn't want to stop them.

After all, it had been eight months. If Lara had wanted to find her Sam would have seen a sign already.

There was the sound of footsteps behind her. Sam hurriedly wiped the tears away and turned away. Emma and Jake had seen her cry enough times and she was sure they were sick of it. "Hey guys," she said, the crack in her voice betraying her true emotion. "I found a bit of food."

"Sam."

That voice.

Sam turned around and felt her heart stop.

It _was_ her.

Lara walked hesitantly into the room, an uncertain smile on her face. Her body was stronger, with more energy and muscle but she still had the same tentativeness as before. Her hair was messy and unkempt, yet her eyes sparkled as she looked at Sam.

"Hey," she said.

Sam broke down in tears and ran towards Lara. She tackled her in a big hug and cried, squeezing her against her like she would disappear any second again.

Lara was laughing and crying as well, hugging her back with equal fervour and stroking her back. Sam could feel her smile at the base of her neck but all she could do was cry.

"I've been looking for you for so long," Lara murmured.

"You have?" Sam murmured. She leaned back and looked at Lara. She looked so much better than the last time she had seen her. Her skin had colour in it and she had so much more energy. The surgeon must have done a really good job.

"Of course I have. I found your notes and I've been following them." From her pocket she produced a handful of folded notes. Sam recognised them, but there were less than how many she thought she had written. "I didn't find them all, but I found enough to find you." She put the notes on the sofa next to them and took her hands. "God I missed you," she muttered, beaming.

Sam squeezed her hands then leaned her forehead against hers. It had been so long since she felt so safe. "I missed you too," she whispered. She leaned in to kiss her.

"Holy shit," came Emma's disbelieving voice. Sam looked to the side and saw Emma and Jake standing at the base of the stairs. "You actually found us."

Lara turned and smiled at them. "Yes, it was a bit of an endeavour," she said.

"Well we're going to stay here for tonight," Emma said, "So tell us all about it."

* * *

They set up camp in the house and started a small fire in the fireplace. Lara had brought a bit of food with her and, most importantly, a jar of coffee powder. They sat on the sofa whilst Emma sat on a bean bag by the fireplace and Lara told them of what happened.

She told them of how the surgeon operated on her immediately, and that she ended up having septicemia. Thankfully, they didn't pick up on the virus in her bloodstream and had given her antibiotics for a week, watching her for a month in case of any other infections. During that time, Lara was 'asked' to work around the safe zone; cleaning, building, repairing, farming - wherever an extra pair of hands were needed.

Benjamin, the leader, didn't force her to work too hard because of her condition, but it was clear she didn't have much of a choice in it either. When she asked Benjamin if she could leave, he said that she owed them for saving her life and would never be allowed to leave.

So she bided her time.

In that time, she got better, stronger, and thought of a way to get out. The place was well guarded and there were only two ways into the compound; through the main gates or by swimming. Lara decided to bribe others into helping her; although the place was thriving, it wasn't above corruption and a black market.

She waited until the right moment and then left.

"You were brave leaving that place," Jake said. "This Benjamin doesn't sound like someone to be crossed."

"Or foolish," Emma murmured into her mug. "That place had everything."

"Is he going to come after you?"

Lara shrugged. "Hopefully Benjamin won't waste his time trying to find someone who didn't want to be there. Besides," she turned to Sam and placed her hand over hers, smiling. "I made a promise."

Sam smiled back at her and squeezed her hand. There was so much she wanted to say to her. She wanted to tell her about how much she missed her, how hard it's been without her…how sorry she was that she had done this to her…

She desperately wished they were alone.

Emma yawned and stretched. "Well I think I might hit the hay," she said, standing up. "I can't wait to have a bit of that coffee tomorrow."

Jake stood up as well. "Yeah, I might go to bed too," he said.

"Don't have sex too loud," Emma said. "We need our sleep."

Lara blushed and Sam chuckled politely. Flustering Lara was always easy and amusing. Emma and Jake went upstairs leaving Lara and Sam alone. The lounge room was suddenly quiet.

"That's something about Emma I don't miss," Lara said. She looked up at her and gave her a smile.

God she was so beautiful. Her heart ached thinking about all that time they had spent apart yet she didn't feel like she had a hole in her anymore.

Sam smiled back and leaned forward. She pressed her lips gently against Lara's and she felt Lara respond in kind, cupping her face to bring them closer together.

"I missed you," Sam murmured when they finally broke for air. "So much."

Lara stroked her cheek gently. "I'm sorry," she said. "I tried to find you as soon as I could."

Sam turned her head towards Lara's hand. She hadn't noticed before, but she was now missing her ring and little finger. They were now flat stumps, smooth on the ends.

Lara noticed where she was looking and retracted her hand, laughing nervously. "Yes," she said, examining her hand. "The scar here now matches the one on my stomach."

Sam closed her eyes as she felt the tears surge up again. She had fought against them for the last few months but now…being face to face with Lara…it was too much.

"Hey…it's not that bad, is it?" Lara asked, her voice wavering.

Sam shook her head. "No, it's not you." She wiped away her tears and looked down at her hands. They were complete, unbroken. "I'm so sorry for doing this to you."

"What? What do you mean?"

"You almost died because of me, Lara," she murmured. "So many times. Just to rescue me."

"I would do it again if I had to," Lara said, grabbing her hands. "It was my choice."

"You wouldn't have had to do it if I didn't get captured in the first place," Sam bit back. She couldn't look at Lara and face the judgement in her eyes. "It's been so long since we separated. I was so worried that you wouldn't come because…" she hesitated and bit her lower lip. "That you didn't want to deal with me anymore. That, I don't know, you met someone else who didn't put your life in danger all the time."

"Sam, you know I wouldn't do that," she said softly. She took a deep breath ."I thought once that everyone I loved was destined to die," she said, "but you showed me that I was wrong. Even when I failed to save you from Mathias and Stevens, you saved _me_. Twice. You've kept your promise even when _I_ told you to leave me, so I'm never going to break mine. We'll be together, no matter what."

Sam wanted that more than anything. She looked up into Lara's eyes which were gentle and warm. "I don't want to lose you Lara," she murmured.

"You won't," she said resolutely. "You're an amazing person Sam, and I love you with all my heart. Even if I'm gone for a while, I will always come back to you."

Sam stared at the girl before her. Lara was so passionate, so sincere that it made her heart ache. This woman would do anything for her, and Sam knew that she would do anything for her as well. She believed her when she said she would come back, and she knew it in the way Lara squeezed her hands and from the determination in her eyes. Maybe Sam had finally found the exception to her curse.

She locked eyes with Lara. "I'll keep you to that," she said. Her eyes darted down to her lips and lingered there. "I'm lucky to have you." She pulled Lara forward and kissed her deeply.

Lara smiled against her lips and pushed her down into the sofa. She wove their fingers together as Lara pinned them on either side of her head.

This was right, she thought, her heart swelling with love. This was the way of the world, how it should be.

 _You and me together, forever._

Lara kissed down her neck, and then up again. Sam moaned and rolled her head to the side to allow her better access as she sucked on her earlobe. Tingles ran all the way through her body, settling in the sweet spot between her legs. She wanted nothing more than to let Lara slide her fingers into her yet…

With a frustrated groan Sam put a hand on her chest and stopped her advances. "I'm sorry," she said as Lara looked at her with puzzlement. "I can't do this tonight."

Surprise flickered over Lara's features and Sam quickly explained, "My period just started."

Lara made an ' _oh'_ with her lips and then smiled. "It's okay. I can wait."

Lara's lips were still right above her, tantalizing and red. Sam stared at them and tried not to think about where else those lips could be. "You have no idea how sexually frustrated I am right now," she said.

Lara laughed and propped herself up on an elbow. "I think I do," she said, staring down into her eyes with a grin.

Sam leaned up and captured her lips in her own again. She wrapped her hand around her neck and pulled them closer together until they ran out of breath.

"We should go to bed," Lara panted, resting her forehead against hers.

"We should," Sam muttered, closing her eyes. Lara's body over hers was so warm and comforting she could have fallen asleep there. She could just hear Lara's heartbeat over the sound of her own racing pulse. It was steady and strong - it's rhythm comforting just like its owner.

She could get used to this.

Lara leaned back and got off the couch. She offered Sam a hand which she took gratefully, interlacing their fingers once more.


End file.
